Welcome to this exciting talk on how cognition, emotion and semiosis intermix in Swedish court hearings, given by our collaborator from Gothenburg, Dr. Bilyana Martinovski. Due to flu outbreak, we will have this on zoom only. Welcome in from 3pm, with cameras on as usual.

In order to find the right problem solution one needs to define the right problem. In my talk I will discuss the dynamics of cognitive-emotive, semiotic and interactive processes of problem definition and restructuring manifested in epistemic reformulations. Authentic audio recordings of Swedish court hearings are studied quantitatively with co-occurrence analysis and qualitatively with structural sequence analysis. The study finds that the activity, its principal values, and participant roles shape the very cognitive-emotive structure and dynamics of problem definition. I show that cognitive and interactive problem restructuring in court hearings is organized into four to six turn sequences which consist of minimal quotative and/or reportative epistemic reformulations that realize six communicative actions: contrast indication, suggestion of alternative interpretation, suggestion of resolution of doubt, change of topic, continuation of interrogation line, and reassurance of certainty. The strength of linguistic devices for cognitive-emotive confrontation with epistemic trouble escalates. The stronger and the more insisting the display of doubt, the stronger the attempts for resolution and closure become.