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Linguistic Recognition as a Source of Confidence in the Justice System

2012; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 45; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/0010414011434294

1552-3829

Amy H. Liu, Vanessa A. Baird,

Electoral Systems and Political Participation

How does linguistic recognition in the courtroom affect popular confidence in the justice system among minorities? The authors argue (a) the recognition of either a minority language and/or a third-party’s language (lingua franca) during judicial proceedings increases confidence levels but (b) the use of a lingua franca is more effective. This is because minorities are more likely to favor an arrangement that levels the playing field by having everyone speak a lingua franca (relative fairness) than one that allows them to use their own language in a courtroom that is otherwise dominated by the majority language (absolute fairness). Using original data measuring the linguistic recognition in the judiciary, the authors find a significant and robust relationship between languages of the court and popular confidence in the justice system.