Ten unanswered language questions about Miranda

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to suggest areas of needed forensic linguistic research into the use of the warnings that the police are required to give suspects about their rights as they are being arrested. In this case, the American Miranda warnings are used as an example. Familiar linguistic issues arise in such warnings, including discourse sequencing, coerciveness of questions, volition, comprehension, functional equivalence, the co-operative principle, agreement, topic recycling and intentionality.