regina v john terry': the discursive construction of an ... · the disciplines of stylistics,...
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'Regina v John Terry': The Discursive Construction of an AllegedRacist Event
Gavins, J., & Simpson, P. (2015). 'Regina v John Terry': The Discursive Construction of an Alleged Racist Event.Discourse & Society, 26(6), 712-732. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926515592783
Published in:Discourse & Society
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Download date:20. Sep. 2020
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Coversheet:Title: ‘ReginavJohnTerry:TheDiscursiveConstructionofanAllegedRacistEvent’Shorttitle: ‘ReginavJohnTerry’Articlesize: 10,580words;1.56MB.Authors’details:JoannaGavins,SchoolofEnglish,UniversityofSheffield,Sheffield,S37RA,UK.Telephone: 00441142220214Email: [email protected],SchoolofEnglish,Queen’sUniversityBelfast,UK,BT71NN.Telephone: 00442890491065Email: p.simpson@qub.ac.ukAcknowledgementsTheauthorswouldliketothankanexternalreviewerandtheeditorofthisjournalfortheircommentsandsuggestionsonanearlierdraftofthisarticle.Andfortheirhelpfuladviceonlegalexpressionandterminology,theauthorswouldalsoliketothankFreeLawGroup8atSheffieldUniversity.Shortautobiographicalnote:PaulSimpsonisaProfessorofEnglishLanguageatQueen’sUniversityBelfast.BestknownforhisworkinStylistics,PragmaticsandCriticalLinguistics,hispublicationshaveincludedarticlesonthesociolinguisticfeaturesofpopsingingstyles,thepragmaticsofadvertisingdiscourseandthelinguisticpatternsofverbalhumour.HisbooksincludeStylistics,OntheDiscourseofSatireandLanguage,IdeologyandPointofView,andtheco‐authoredLanguageandPower.AformerEditorofthejournalLanguageandLiterature,SimpsoniscurrentlyChairofthePoeticsandLinguisticsAssociation. JoannaGavinsisaReaderinLiteraryLinguisticsattheUniversityofSheffield.Herresearchcentresontheinteractionsbetweenlanguage,styleandthehumanmind.Shehaspublishedwidelywithinthedisciplinesofstylistics,cognitivelinguisticsandcognitivepoetics,andistheauthorofReadingtheAbsurd(EdinburghUniversityPress,2013),TextWorldTheory:AnIntroduction(EdinburghUniversityPress,2007),andco‐editor(withGerardSteen)ofCognitivePoeticsinPractice(Routledge,2003).SheisEditoroftheJohnBenjaminsbookseriesLinguisticApproachestoLiterature.
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ReginavJohnTerry:TheDiscursiveConstructionofanAllegedRacistEventAbstractThisarticleexplorestheconformationindiscourseofaverbalexchangeanditssubsequentmediatisedandlegalramifications.TheeventconcernsanallegedlyracistinsultdirectedbyhighprofileEnglishprofessionalfootballerJohnTerrytowardsanotherplayer,AntonFerdinand,duringatelevisedmatchinOctober2011.ThesubstanceofTerry’sutterance,whichincludedthenounphrase‘fuckingblackcunt’,wasfoundbyaChiefMagistratenottobearacistinsult,althoughthefactthattheseactualwordswereframedwithintheutterancewasnotindispute.TheupshotofthisrulingwasthatTerrywasacquittedofaraciallyaggravatedpublicorderoffence.AsubsequentinvestigationbytheregulatorycommissionoftheEnglishFootballAssociation(FA)ruled,almostayearaftertheevent,thatTerrywasguiltyofraciallyabusingFerdinand.Terrywasbannedforfourmatchesandfined£220,000.Itisourcontentionthatthisevent,playedoutinlegalrulings,socialmediaandprintandbroadcastmedia,constitutesacomplexweboflinguisticstructuresandstrategiesindiscourse,andassuchlendsitselfwelltoanalysiswithabroadrangeoftoolsfrompragmatics,discourseanalysisandcognitivelinguistics.Amongstotherthings,suchananalysiscanhelpexplaintheseeminglyanomalous‐evencontradictory‐positionadoptedinthelegalrulingwithregardtothespeechactstatusof‘fuckingblackcunt’;namely,thattheracistcontentoftheutterancewasnotcontestedbutthatthespeakerwasfoundnottohaveissuedaracistinsult.Overitscourse,thearticleaddressesthisbroaderissuebymakingreferencetothesystemic‐functionalinterpersonalfunctionoflanguage,particularlytotheconceptsofmodality,polarityandmodalisation.Italsodrawsonmodelsofverbalironyfromlinguisticpragmatics,notablyfromthetheoryofironyasechoicmention(c.f.SperberandWilson,1981;WilsonandSperber,1992).Furthermore,thearticlemakesuseofthecognitive‐linguisticframework,TextWorldTheory(c.f.Gavins,2007;Werth,1999)toexaminethediscoursepositionsoccupiedbykeyactorsandadapts,fromcognitivepoetics,thetheoryofmind‐modelling(c.f.Stockwell,2009)toexploretheconceptualmeansthroughwhichtheseactorsdiscursivelynegotiatetheevent.Itisarguedthatthepragmaticandcognitivestrategiesthatframetheentireincidentgoalongwaytowardsmitigatingtheimpactofsoostensiblystarkanactofracialabuse.Moreover,itissuggestedherethatthereconciliationofTerry’sactionwasaresultoftheconfluenceofstrategiesofdiscoursewithrelationsofpowerasembodiedbythemedia,thelawandperceptionsofnationhoodembracedbycontemporaryfootballculture.Itisfurtherproposedthattheoutcomeofthisepisode,wheretheFAwasputinthespotlight,andwhereboththeconflictanditskeyantagonistswere‘intranational’,wasstronglyimpelledbytheinstitutionofEnglishfootballanditsgoverningbodybothtoreproduceandmaintainsocial,culturalandethniccohesionandtoavoidanysensethattheeventfeaturedadiscernable‘out‐group’.
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KeywordsIntroduction
OnSundaythe23rdofOctober2011,EnglishPremierLeaguefootballteams
ChelseaandQueen’sParkRangers(QPR)metatLoftusRoad,thehomegroundof
thelatterclub.Thescoreofthatmatchfadedintoinsignificanceinthefaceofan
angryexchangebetweentheChelseaplayer,JohnTerry,andtheQPRplayerAnton
Ferdinand.ThencaptainofbothChelseaandtheEnglishnationalside,Terry
utteredwordsthat(incontrovertibly)includedthephrase‘fuckingblackcunt’
(Riddle,2012:2).AnallegationthatTerryhadcommittedaraciallyaggravated
publicorderoffencewasreferredtotheLondonWestminsterMagistrates’Court
(LWMC),thedeliberationsfromwhichwerepublishedinJulyof2012.TheChief
Magistrate,HowardRiddle,foundinfavourofTerry,althoughasubsequentnon‐
criminalinvestigationbytheRegulatoryCommissionoftheEnglishFootball
Associationlaterruled,inSeptemberofthesameyear,thatTerrywasguiltyof
raciallyabusingFerdinand(TheFootballAssociationandJohnGeorgeTerry
[FAJGT],2012:62).Terrywasthenbannedforfourmatchesandfined£220,000.
OuranalysisfocusesonthewrittenlegalrulingsbybothmagistrateRiddleandby
theFA’sRegulatoryCommission.Weoffercommentsonthediscursiveframethat
embracesthiseventandontheprogressionandshiftindiscoursebetweenboth
rulings.Whererelevant,wecommentonthetelevisionfootageasitintersectswith
thelegalrulings,butwemakenoevaluativeassessmentofproceduresoflaworof
thecourtproceedingsthatformthelegalunderpinningsofthisevent.Inparticular,
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wedonotcontest,norimplyanycontestation,ofthelegallybindingjudgmentsof
boththeFACommissionandtheWestminsterMagistrate’sCourt.
Footageoftheepisode,oftenineditedorinscatologicalmanipulationsof
theoriginalvisualtext,existsontheinternetandreadersofthepresentarticlecan
easilyfinditatseverallocationsontheweb.Obviously,thefootagewasmade
availableatbothhearings,andtherecordingsformed‘acentralpartofthe
evidence’(Riddle,2012:1).Theencounterbetweenthetwoplayersonthefield
lastedapproximately40secondsinrealtime,withTerry’scontentiousutterance
taking6seconds,althoughatakeymomenttheviewofTerry’sfaceisobscuredby
themovementofteammateAshleyColeacrossthescreen.Figure1isaline
drawingdepictingTerryashedirectshisutterance,leftwardsonscreen,towards
anout‐of‐shotFerdinand.ThisisthemomentjustbeforeAshleyCole,inthe
foreground,movesinbetweenthecameraandTerry.
Figure1:JohnTerryandAshleyCole
INSERTFIGURE1ASCLOSETOHEREASPOSSIBLE
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Whatwasallegedtohavebeenutteredduringthebriefobscuredsequence
wasspeculateduponatbothhearings.Evidencefromthreeprofessionallip
readerswasconsideredattheLWMChearing,andagreementwasreachedabout
thewordsthatcouldbereadfromthefootage.Thesewere:
‘YeahandI[shortobstructionbyCole]you/yafuckingblackcunt[pause]fuckingknobhead’
Significantly,thelipreaderswereunabletocommentontoneofvoiceor,inthe
magistrate’swords,onhowthewordsweresaid(Riddle,2012:4,ouremphasis).
Ourinitialanalyticfocusispreciselyontheissueofhowthesewordswere
said.Moreover,asignificantpartofbothdefenceandprosecutionevidencewas
implicitlyorientatedtowardsinterpretationofspeakers’andhearers’
understandingofutterances,althoughobviouslynoneofthepartiesinvolvedin
thisinterpretationarticulated,throughanyrigorousmodelofdiscourse
pragmatics,thestrategiesoflanguagetheywereprobingorcontesting.Itisour
positionthereforethatthetoolkitsofpragmatics,cognitivelinguistics,andcritical
discourseanalysisarewell‐equippedto‘unpack’thisdiscursiveevent.Thepresent
studyfurthermorecomplementsagrowingbodyofresearchthatexploresthe
intersectionsbetweenlanguage,discourseandsport.Thisresearchincludes,for
example,Adetunji’s(2013)analysisoftheinteractivestrategiesusedamong
groupsoffootballfans,McDowellandSchaffner’s(2011)studyofgendered
discourseinarealityTVsportshow,orBishopandJaworski’s(2003)exploration
oftheprintandbroadcastreceptionofafootballgamebetweenGermanyand
Englandin2000.Giventheconstraintsposedbyparticipantobservation,
explorationsofon‐fieldlinguisticinteractionarerare,althoughMeân(2001)was
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abletoexploregenderidentitiesthroughrecordingsoftheon‐fieldofficialsinboth
men’sandwomen’sfootballmatches.Ouroveralltheoreticalstancealignswell
withthepositionadoptedbyMeânandHalone(2010:passim)bothonthe
legitimacyofthemanyinterconnectionsbetweensport,language,andcultureand
onthesocialandculturalsignificanceoftheseinterconnectionsasasitefor
scholarlytheoryandresearch.Wherethepresentstudy,itishoped,makesan
originalcontributionisthroughitssynthesisofdiscourseanalysisandjudicial
ruling,allofwhichissetinthecontextofthe,asnoted,relativelyrareon‐field
linguisticdata.
Thefirststepinthisanalysisinvolvespostulatingthreepragmatic
strategiesthatmightofferdifferentaccountsofthespeechactstatusofTerry’s
controversialutterance,therawlinguisticelementsofwhichareuncontested.The
centralparadox,wehavesuggested,liesintheuseofracistwordsbyaspeaker
whoissubsequentlydeemedbylawnottohaveissuedaracistinsult.Putanother
way,onemightquestionhowaparticipantinonediscourse‐world(seeGavins,
2007:18‐34)isassessedbyparticipantsinanotherdiscourse‐world,insuchaway
thattheLWMChearinglegally‘setaside’theinterpretationthatTerry’sutterance
atLoftusRoadwasdirectlyandunequivocallythreatening,abusiveandinsulting.
Fromourperspective,then,onlythreepossible,andlargelymutuallyexclusive,
interpretationsindiscourseremain:(i)thattheeclipsedsegmentcontainsan
explicitdenial;(ii)thattheutteranceasawholeisanattemptatbanter;(iii)that
byviolatingthepragmaticconditionofsincerity,theutteranceasawholeis
intendedironically.The‘denial’postulateassumesthatthemissingchunkis
somethinglike‘nevercalled’,suchthatTerryoffersarejectionofanearliercharge
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ofracistabusefromFerdinand:thatis,‘Inevercalledyou/yablackcunt’.The
pronountotherightoftheinsertedsequencenowbecomesmoreofanissue,and
interestingly,itsstatuswasdisputedbycounselintheLWMChearing.Twoofthe
lipreadersagreedthattheymightbemistakenand‘that“you/ya”maybe“a”or
indeedanumberofothersimilarsounds’(Riddle,2012:4).Inshort,defence
counselcontendedthat‘ya’was‘a’,prosecutioncounselthatitwas‘you’.Clearly,
theassumedspeechactstatusofTerry’sutterancewillbealteredaccordingly,
wheretheformerconstruction,withitsindefinitearticle,suggestsperhapsa
statementofgenerality,whilethelatter,withitssecondpersondirectaddress,
intimatesavocativeformulaaimedsquarelyathisdiscourse‐worldco‐participant,
Ferdinand.However,the‘nevercalled’scenariowasplayedoutlargelyinthesocial
mediaandvideositesthatwent‘viral’subsequenttothedayofthematch.Battle
linesweredrawn,predictably,inlinewithclubaffiliation,andunsurprisinglythe
‘nevercalled’explanationappealedmosttosupportersofChelseaFootballClub.
WhatisimportantisthattheChiefMagistrateforeclosedonspeculationthus:
‘TherearemissingwordsandIhavenotbeenpreparedtospeculateastowhat
theymaybe’(Riddle,2012:5).Thebroaderissuethisraises,whereTerrymaybe
respondinginsomesensetoanimpliedutterancefromFerdinand,willbetakenup
furtherbelow.
Thesecondpostulateisthattheutteranceisintendedasbanter.This
pragmaticstrategy,alongsideteasing,inheresinaformof‘mockimpoliteness’,
wheretheeffectsindiscourseofamanifestlyimpolitesurfaceformare
mismatchedwiththeinteractivecontext(Culpeper,2011:208;Leech,1983:142‐
5;seealsoBousfield,2008;BousfieldandLocher,2008).Ofcourse,themismatch
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indiscourseneedstobeobservedandratifiedsothatthestatusofanotherwise
insultingutterancecanbeinterpretedasunserious.Thissituatedrisk–takingon
thepartofthespeakerexplainsthewelldocumentedsocial‐solidaryfunctionof
banter,wherethepretendinsultscanonlyfunctionbetweenthosewhoknoweach
otherwellorinadiscourse‐worldinteractionwherethereistrustandasenseof
in‐groupmembership.
Thereisnodoubtthatbanterasaninteractivestrategyisenshrinedinthe
discourseofsportandthewell‐attestedbadinagethatembodiescommunication
betweenbothfansandplayershardlyneedsacademicconfirmation(althoughsee
Adetunji,2013:passim).However,keyfactorsofthediscourse‐worldcontextin
thiscasemilitateagainst,andultimatelyinvalidate,thisinterpretation.TheLWMC
rulingclearlydirectsthecourttoformtheviewfromTerry’s‘demeanour’atthe
timeofutterancethathewasundisputedly‘angry’(Riddle,2012:3‐4).Thecontext
ofanangryexchangeisnotanaturalpredispositiontobanter,noristheinclusion
intheutteranceofanexplicitallusiontorace,which,withintheparametersof
socialactoranalysis,constitutes‘identification’(vanLeeuwen,1996:54).Interms
ofthetabooor‘out‐group’implicationsofsuchareferencetocolourbyawhite
speaker,Billig(2001:269)highlightstheproblemsofsocialacceptabilitythat
relatetointeractioninvolvingreferencestorace,andoftheriskofthenegative
ethnicstereotypesthataccruefromattemptsatlight‐heartedhumour.
Thethirdposition,thatthewordscanbeconstruedasironicallyframed,is
morepromisingbecauseitresonateswiththeargumentationdevelopedbythe
legalprofessionalsinvolvedinbothhearings.Moreover,thereisevidencein
linguisticsresearchfortheexistenceofclearpointsofintersectionbetweenlegal
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rulingsandtheassessmentsbyjudgesandlawyersofcertainformsoflanguage
beingusedironicallyorinsincerely.Forinstance,Little(2009),citingatort
involvingunwanted‘banter’fromacompanyforemantoanotheremployee,shows
howaspeaker’sclaimtobeusinghumourorironycan‘inoculateallegedly
harassingcommunicationsfromliability’(Little,2009:1278‐9).Similarly,Simpson
andMayr(2009)drawattentiontothecaseofaBritishlawyerwhowasdismissed
fromherjobforusing,whatheremploymenttribunalconceded,wasapieceof
manifestlyironicdiscourse(SimpsonandMayr,2009:26‐7).Inthefollowing
sectionweofferamoredetailedaccountofbothironyanditspotential
repercussionsfortheTerrycase.
Ironyand‘[you/ya]fuckingblackcunt’
Thisisnottheplacetoundertakeadetailedreviewofthehugebodyofresearchon
thepragmaticsofirony.Sufficeittosay,ironyindiscoursepresentsandmanifests
inmanytropes,modesandcategoriesandcanbeapproachedandclassifiedwitha
rangeofframeworksofanalysis.(Seetheoverviewsin,forexample,Clark,2013;
Dynel,forthcoming;Simpson,2011.)Forthepurposesofthepresentanalysis,we
drawontheparticularframeworkthatisSperberandWilson’smodelofironyas
echoicmention(e.g.SperberandWilson,1981;WilsonandSperber,1992).This
frameworkisbuiltonthelogicaldistinctionbetweenuseandmentionsuchthata
speakermayechoironicallyanotherspeaker’sdiscoursebymentioningor
repeatingtheirutterance.Consideran‘ironic’exchangesuchasthefollowing:
A:I’mtired. B:You’retired!AndwhatdoyouthinkIam?
(afterSperberandWilson,1981:306,originalemphasis)
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Here,thepropositionAistiredisusedbythespeakerinthefirstpartofthe
exchangebutisexplicitlymentionedinB’sresponseinthesecond.The‘mention’
versionindicatesthatthepreviousutterancehasbeenheardandunderstood,and
expressesthehearer’simmediatereactiontoit.AsSperberandWilsoncastit,the
use‐mentiondistinctionissuchthatuseofanexpressioninvolvesreferenceto
whattheexpressionrefersto,whilementioninvolvesreferencetotheexpression
itself(SperberandWilson,1981:303).Inotherwords,anutteranceisechoicifitis
intendedtobeunderstoodasimplicitlyattributingathoughtorutterancewitha
similarcontenttosomeoneelse(Clark,2013:281‐2).Theechoedformalso
implicitlyconveysthespeaker’sattitudetothatthoughtorutterance.
AsignificanttheoreticalfeatureoftheSperberandWilsonmodel,pickedup
bymanycommentators,istheirstipulationthatallironiclanguageusageis
reducibletotheechoicformula.Therehavebeenanumberofcogentanddetailed
critiquesofthisratherproblematicprovisionintheechoicmentionmodel(seefor
instanceClarkandGerrig,1984;Giora1997;KreuzandGlucksberg,1989:374‐6;
Toolan,1996:184‐192;Utsumi,2000:1780‐82).Thepositiontakeninthepresent
articleisthattherearequalitativelydistinctformsofironyofwhichtheechoic
typenumbersbutone.Thatsaid,andasweattempttodemonstratebelow,the
echoicmodelofferssignificantexplanatorypotentialwhenappliedtothe
discoursethatframestheRvJohnTerryepisode.
Althoughthetermironyisnevermentionedexplicitly,akeyquestioninthe
LWMCverdict,posedearlyonbymagistrateRiddle,comesveryclosetocapturing
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theessenceofourthirdpostulateaboutthepotentialspeechactstatusofTerry’s
utterance:
ThequestionformeiswhetherIamsurethatthewordswereusedasaninsult,orwhetheritispossible,asthedefenceassert,thathewas,orbelievedhewas,merelyrepeatinganallegationmadetohim,anddismissingit. (Riddle,2012:3)
Inallbutname,thecaseforthedefenceisembeddedinaframeworkofechoic
irony.Thatistosay,thefeatureofTerry’sutterancewiththepotentialtoblockan
interpretationofracismisthepossibility,entertainedbythecourt,thatheis
echoingsomeanteriorutterancebyAntonFerdinand.ThegistofwhatFerdinand
wasallegedtohavesaidtoTerryonthepitchwasanaccusation;specifically,that
Terryhadpreviouslycalledhimablackcunt.Terry’sechoofthisaccusation
thereforesignalsnotconcurrencebutrejection:Terry‘mentions’Ferdinand’s
purportedaccusationonlytocommunicatehisdistancefromit.Inkeepingwith
thegeneralfunctionindiscourseofechoicirony,theattitudeexpressedthrough
theattributionofanutterancetoanotherspeakerisnormallynegative(Clark,
2013:282).Inotherwords,thespeakermentionstheutterancenottoapproveor
endorseit,buttodisownanddismissit,evencontemptuouslyorsarcasticallyso.
ThepossiblyechoicstandingofTerry’swordswasdeemedenoughbythecourtto
renderatleastinconclusivetheintendedmeaningofhisuseofthephrase‘you/ya
fuckingblackcunt’.ThiswasenoughfortheLWMCtoresolvetheconundrumthat
racistwordswerenotusedinaracistway.EventhoughmagistrateRiddlelaterin
therulingconsideredit‘highlyunlikely’thatFerdinandactuallymadethis
accusationonthepitch,heruledthatitwaspossiblethat‘MrTerrybelievedatthe
time,andbelievesnow,thatsuchanaccusationwasmade’(Riddle,2012:14).
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Accordingly,itwasthereforepossiblethatwhatTerrysaidwas‘wasnotintended
asaninsult,butratherasachallengetowhathebelievedhadbeensaidtohim’
(Riddle,2012:14‐15).
WhathappenedinandthroughdiscoursetotheLWMCpositionduringits
transformationintothelanguageoftheFAJGTinvestigationreceivesattention
furtherbelow.However,thereremaincertainaspectsoftheTerry‐Ferdinand
exchange,asaspokendiscourse‐worldencounter,thatrequiresomecommentary
here.TheLWMCrulingmakesitclearthatlip‐readinginterpretationswerenot
conclusiveandthataspectsofbodylanguagewerenotaccountedfor,otherthanto
consolidatethebroadassumptionthatTerrywasangry.Thislegalpositionhas
implicationsfortheechoicmodelofironyemployedhere.TheSperberandWilson
modelhasbeenbuiltanddisseminatedlargelyonthebasisofinvented,context‐
lessexamples.Suchexamplesinvariablyfitneatlythethrustoftheargument
advancedbytheresearchers(aperceivedweaknessinthemodelwhichhasbeen
targetedbythelinguistsreferencedabove).Theworldofrealdiscourseis
undoubtedlymoremessy,indeterminateandopen‐endedthanthetenetsofthe
echoicmodelwouldleadustobelieve.However,therehasbeensubsequent
researchontheacousticqualitiesofaggressiveformsofironysuchassarcasm(e.g.
KreuzandRoberts,1995;seealsoAnollietal,2000;BryantandFoxTree,2005).
Thisworksuggeststhatthereisaparticulararticulatorysettingandtoneofvoice
associatedwiththephysicalmanifestationofthisstrategyasdiscourseand
therefore,byimputation,withthesortofironicdeliveryascribedtoJohnTerry’s
utterance.Whatfollowsaresomeobservationsontheinterrelationshipbetween
thevocalfeaturesofspokensarcasmwiththeinterpretationsoftheLWMC.
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Cauccietal(2014:passim)pointoutthat‘nonsarcastic’utterancesare
typicallylouderonaveragethansarcasticutterances.Theyaddthatthe
prototypicalmake‐upofasarcasticutterancewillincludeacontinuativeparticle
like‘oh’or‘uh’alongsideanadverb‐adjectivepairing,asin‘Uh,yeah’or‘Oh,that’s
justgreat!’.Locatingsarcasmspecificallyintheechoicmentionmodel,Kreuzand
Glucksbergcharacterisesarcasmasanespeciallycrudeformofverbalirony(1989:
374).InanodtowardsSperberandWilson,theycointheexpressionechoic
remindertheoryforsituationswhenaspeakeralludesto,andcritiques,some
originatingstateofaffairs(1989:375).Thus,Terry’sutterance,tobeconstruedas
sarcastic,wouldneedto‘remind’Ferdinandofhisassumedantecedentaccusation
andindoingsosignalTerry’ssarcasticdisapprovalofit.Revealingly,however,
KreuzandGlucksbergestablishacleardirectionoftravelintheirassessmentof
theaffectivedimensionsofsarcasticutterances:onlyapositivestatementcan
functionasanironicevaluationofanegativelyperceivedpersonorevent(1989:
376).Inotherwords,Terry’sutterancewouldbemuchmorereadilyinterpretedas
sarcasmifhehadcoucheditinthesortofformuladescribedbyCauccietal(2014)
above;thatis,throughpositively‐framedsyntacticformssuchas‘niceonemate’or
‘yeah,justfuckin’great’.Moreover,Rockwell’sreadingofthevocalcuesofsarcasm
(2000)militatesfurtheragainstanycredibleinterpretation(arisingfromlinguistic
analysis)thatTerryintendedhiswordstobeironic.Forastart,Rockwell
demonstratesthatsarcasmisconveyedbyavoicesettingthat,interalia,shiftstoa
slowertempoandtoalowerpitchlevel(2000:483),yetevenarudimentary
glanceatthefootageshowsthatTerry’svocaldeliveryisanythingbut‘lowerand
slower’.Moreover,Rockwelloffersfordiscussionthesuggestionthatsarcasmis
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invokedinsituationsofmoderate‘dislike’whereitisusedtoindicatenegative
emotion.Ifhowever,thedislikeisgreater,thenthis‘mightbeexpressedinaform
muchstrongerthansarcasm,suchadirectinsultoranexpletive‐filledoutburst’
(Rockwell,2000:492).Paraphrasingthisposition,sarcasmthereforegiveswayto
pointedabuseinverbalencounterswhichareepitomisedbyintensedislikeor
resentment,abusewhichmightverywellinhereinanexpletive‐filledutterance
like‘you/yafuckingblackcunt’.
Insum,theanalysisofdiscoursepresentedheredoes,inthespecificcontext
oftheencounter,tendtomilitateagainsttheinterpretationthatTerryintendedhis
wordstobeironic.However,theprincipalfocusthusfarhasbeenonTerry,yethe
isonlyoneofanumberofparticipantswhoplaydifferentdiscursiverolesinthe
event.AnimportantmatteristhepartTerry’sassumedantagonist,Anton
Ferdinand,playsintheconstructionoftheepisode;anotheristheroleof
teammateAshleyColewhoofferscorroborating(butaswillbeobservedlater,far
fromcompelling)evidenceintheaftermathoftheon‐pitchconfrontation.
Moreover,andaswesignalledearlier,animportantquestionconcernsthe
discursivetransformationfromthemagistrate’spositionintothatoftheFA
investigation.Thenextsectionwillnotonlychartthisdiscursivetransformation
but,drawingonafurthersetofanalyticmodels,willalsoexplorethecognitive
positioningoftheotherparticipantsinthisdiscursiveevent.
Mind‐modellingasastrategyfordiscursivereconciliation
InhisJuly2012ruling,theChiefMagistratereportsthathehasreceiveda
‘substantialvolumeofunchallengedevidencefromwitnesses’(Riddle,2012:
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2)toconfirmthatTerryisnotaracistandthatheunderstandswhyTerry
wishestomakethispoint,hisreputationbeingatstake.However,aswehave
alreadynoted,heiscarefultoestablishfromtheoutsetoftherulingthatheis
concernedonlywithassessingtheintentbehindTerry’sdiscoursalchoices
onOctober23rd2011,ratherthanwithanevaluationofhischaracterasa
whole.Withthisinmind,itisinterestingtoobservethatRiddle’s
representationoftheevidencewhichwasputbeforehimoverthecourseof
thecourtproceedingsdoesinfactincludeseveralextensiveevaluationsof
character.However,thefirstandmostlengthyoftheseevaluationsdoesnot
focusontheaccused,JohnTerry,butonAntonFerdinand.Theextractbelow,
takenfromRiddle’sjudgement,concernstheevidenceprovidedby
Ferdinand,evidencewithinwhichtheChiefMagistratehasjustoutlineda
numberofdiscrepancies.Hegoesontomakeanumberofassessments,not
onlyoftheplayer’scharacter,butalsoofthepossiblemotivationshehadfor
certainbehavioursandchoices,asfollows:
InhisfinalsubmissionsMrPennydescribesMrFerdinandas‘brave’forgivingevidence.Ithinkthisisareasonabledescription.Iamsatisfiedthathewouldhavepreferrednottobeinvolvedinthistrialatall.Iamsatisfiedthattherewaslittleornogoodreasonforhimtolieaboutthecentralissueinthiscase.MrPennyprovidesgoodreasonsforthatconclusion.WhilethereareindeeddiscrepanciesinhisevidenceIthinkitisunlikelythatonthecentralpointheislying.Ihavenosignificantdoubtsabouthisintegrity.Therearedoubtsaboutwhathesaidatthetimeofthesecondfistpumpinggesture.Hemayeasilyhavemisremembered.IalsohaveadoubtwhenhesayshewasunawareofthecrucialcommentmadetohimbyJohnTerry.Theyweredirectedathim.HehadhadeyecontactwithMrTerryandmaywellhavebeenlookingforareactionfromhim.Iaccepthisevidenceaboutthismaywellbetrue,asheturnedhisattentionbacktothegame.However,Icannotdiscountthepossibilitythathewasawareofthecommentsdirectedathim,andfounditeasiertosaythathewasn’t.Ifthatisthecaseitwouldbewrongofhim,butunderstandable.Tomakeitclear,I
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amnotsayinghewasaware,justthathemayhavebeen,despitehisevidencetothecontrary.
(Riddle,2012:6)
Thereareanumberofparticularlynoteworthycomponentswithinthisparagraph.
Firstofall,RiddlereportsthatPennyhasdescribedFerdinandas‘brave’andadds
thathefindsthisa‘reasonabledescription’.Hethengoesontomakeaseriesof
speculationsaboutFerdinand’sstateofmindbothduringtheincidentonOctober
23rdandduringthecourtcase,commentingforexamplethat‘[Ferdinand]would
havepreferrednottobeinvolvedinthistrialatall’,‘[Ferdinand]mayhavebeen
lookingforareaction’,andthathecannot‘discountthepossibilitythat[Ferdinand]
wasawareofthecommentsdirectedathim,andfounditeasiertosaythathe
wasn’t’.Eachofthesespeculationsinvolvessomedegreeofwhathaselsewhere
beentermed‘mind‐modelling’(seeStockwell,2009).
Theconceptofmind‐modellinghasbeenputforwardwithinthediscipline
ofcognitivepoeticstorefertothecommonabilityofreadersofliterarytextsto
formulatecognitivemodelsofcharacters’thoughts,motivations,perspectivesand
belief‐systemsonthebasisoftextualandcontextualinformation.Although
intendedtoaccountspecificallyforreaders’experiencesofliterarytext‐worlds,the
notionofliterarymind‐modellingitselfisadevelopmentofcognitive‐psychological
accountsofreal‐worldbehaviours.Itbuildsupontheconceptof‘TheoryofMind’
(ToM):thecapacitytounderstandthatotherhumanbeingshaveamindwhich
operatessimilarlytoone’sownandtoimputedifferentbeliefsabouttheworldto
others(seeBelmonte,2008).ToMwasinitiallyandmostprominentlyadaptedfor
literarytheorybyZunshine(2003,2006).However,Belmonte(2008:192)notes
thatZunshine’sreinterpretationoftheconcepttorefertoatemporallyextended,
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offlineprocessappliedduringreadingdepartssignificantlyfromtheoriginal
psychologicaluseofthetermtoexplainanonline,real‐timeprocessappliedduring
theactofinterpretinghumanbehaviour.Stockwell’s(2009)useofacompletely
differentterm,‘mind‐modelling’,isthusadeliberateattempttodistinguish
betweenthesetwoprocesses,withmind‐modellingencompassingmorethanan
onlineevaluationofthebehaviourofothersandincludingnon‐beliefdomainssuch
astheimagineddesires,wishes,andphysicalneedsofothers,aswellas
considerationoftherespectivefeelingsofcharacterstowardseachother,often
filteredthroughnarrationorauthorialvoice(Stockwell,2009:140).
Thisbroaderconceptionofourabilitytomodelthementalprocessesof
othershasobviousvalueinunderstandingRiddle’snecessaryrecourseto
characterconstructionandassessmentinhisjudgementonthecaseofRvJohn
Terry.Asinalllegalproceedings,theChiefMagistrate,havingnotbeenpresentin
theimmediateenvironmentofthediscourseeventinfocus,mustbasehisdecision‐
makingonarangeoftextualsubmissionsmadebyavarietyofnarratorsatother
spatio‐temporalpointsintheprocess.Thisnarrativisationoftheeventunder
considerationthroughanassortmentofdifferentperspectives,althoughbasedon
real‐worldoccurrences,bearsontologicalsimilaritieswithliteraryfiction.The
cognitivediscourseframeworkofTextWorldTheory(seeGavins,2007;Werth
1999forcomprehensiveaccounts)offersahelpfulmeansofunderstandingthis
ontologicalstructureanditsimplicationsfortheprocessingofthediscourseasa
whole.
TextWorldTheoryprovidesaunifiedanalyticalframeworkthroughwhich
thetextualandconceptualstructuresofdiscoursecanbeexaminedwithinthe
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contextoftheirproductionandreception.Atvariouspointssofarinthisarticle,
wehavealreadyreferredtotheimmediatesituationsurroundingTerryand
FerdinandduringtheirencounteratLoftusRoadasa‘discourse‐world’(see
Gavins,2007:18‐34),aTextWorldTheorytermwhichrecognisesthatthe
discourseitselfwillbegovernednotonlybyelementsofthephysicalsetting(e.g.a
footballpitch,thefootballplayers,arefereeandcrowdduringamajorleague
game),butalsobythepersonalandculturalbaggageeachparticipantinthe
discoursebringswiththemtotheevent(e.g.theirknowledge,theirbeliefs,their
perceptionsandopinions).Aswehavealreadyseen,therecreationofthis
discourse‐worldinitsfulldetailandcomplexityispracticallyimpossiblepost‐hoc
anditispreciselytheuniqueandsubjectiveexperienceofthediscoursebythe
participantswhichliesattheheartoftheRvJohnTerrycase.Furthermore,as
TerryandFerdinandcommunicatedwithintheirdiscourse‐worldenvironment,
theybothproduced‘text‐worlds’:mentalrepresentationsofthediscoursecreated
notonlyfromthelanguagetheyencountered,butinfluencedbytheirindividual
backgroundsandbeliefs(seeGavins,2007:35‐72).Boththeoriginaldiscourse‐
worldanditsconsequenttext‐worldsareinaccessibletoHowardRiddleexcept
throughthetextual,narrativisedrepresentationsmadeoftheeventbyparticipants
withinaseparatediscourse‐world,thatoftheLWMCcourtcase,takingplaceata
latertimeandinadifferentlocation.Thisdiscourse‐worldisgovernedbya
separatesetofcontextualfactorsandinfluences,despitebeingpopulatedbysome
ofthesamediscourseparticipants:itincludes,forexample,JohnTerry,Anton
FerdinandandAshleyCole,butnottheentireLoftusRoadstadiumcrowd;these
participantshaveverydifferentexpectationsandmotivationswithinthe
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environmentofWestminsterMagistrates’Courtthantheywouldhaveonafootball
pitch.Thus,theonlywaythemagistratecanpossiblyreachajudgementonthe
intentionsbehindJohnTerry’suncontesteduseofthewords‘fuckingblackcunt’
onOctober23rd2011isthroughthesamesortoftextually‐basedmodellingofthe
mindsinvolvedintheincidentasthereaderofaliterarynarrativewould
undertake,albeitwithinaverydifferentinterpretativeframe.
Theonlypotentiallysurprisingelementtothisisthemarkedlydifferentuse
ofmind‐modellingwhichRiddleemploysinhisdiscussionoftheevidenceput
forwardbyTerrycomparedwiththatwhichheemployswhenassessing
Ferdinand.RiddledoesengageintheconceptualmodellingofTerryatseveral
pointsinhisjudgement.However,thesuppositionshemakesabouttheplayer’s
mentalactivityarecomparativelybriefandtendtofocussolelyonTerry’sonline
perceptionsduringthematch.Forinstance,inaparagraphreflectingonevidence
fromTerrythathesufferedrepeatedtauntsfromotherplayersoverhisaffairwith
ateam‐mate’swife,Riddlecomments:‘Theydidnotangerhim’(Riddle,2012:8);
laterinthejudgement,hesupposesthat‘MrTerrywillhaveknown’thatthere
wouldberecordingsofhisencounterswithFerdinand(Riddle,2012:11);hegoes
tosaythat‘MrTerrywantedtoseeandspeaktoMrFerdinand’(Riddle,2012:12)
afterthematch,andsoon.Eachoftheseinstancesofmind‐modellingislimitedtoa
hypothesisofTerry’sstateofmindatspecificpointsduringandimmediatelyafter
thematch.Bycontrast,inhismuchmoreextensivecommentaryonFerdinandin
theextractquotedabove,Riddleappearstobemoreconcernedwithconstructinga
pictureofthisplayer’senduringcharactertraits,asheconcursthatheis‘brave’
andgoesontosaythathehas‘nosignificantdoubtsabouthisintegrity’.The
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temporalboundariesaroundRiddle’smind‐modellingofFerdinandaremuch
widerthanthoseheestablishesaroundTerryandencompassFerdinand’s
motivationsandreactionsbefore,during,andafterthematch,throughtherun‐up
tothecourtcase,andthroughoutthelegalproceedings.Observationssuchas‘Iam
satisfiedthathewouldhavepreferrednottobeinvolvedinthistrialatall’and‘I
cannotdiscountthepossibilitythathewasawareofthecommentsdirectedathim,
andfounditeasiertosaythathewasn’t’,pointtoRiddle’sbroadermodellingof
Ferdinand’sreliabilityasawitnessandawider‐reachingassessmentofhisoverall
honesty.
Inthisway,Riddlecanbeseentobedistinguishingconceptuallyand
linguisticallybetweenthecontrastingparticipantrolesheregardsFerdinandand
Terryasinhabitinginthediscourse‐worldofthecourtcase.Asdefendantinthe
case,Terry’sbehaviourmustbeassessedwithinthespatio‐temporalparameters
definedbytheallegedoffence:aracialslurissuedtowardablackplayerduringa
footballmatch.AsRiddlestatesfromtheoutsetofhisjudgement,hiskeyconcern
withTerryisnotwhetherheisracist,inanytemporallycontinuoussense,but
whetherheactedwithracistintentonaparticularoccasion.Arguably,Ferdinand
occupiesanevenmorecomplexpositionintheenvironmentofthecourt,being
boththevictimofandakeywitnesstotheallegedactofracistabuse.Asa
consequence,Riddle’sconsiderationofFerdinand’sevidencemustnecessarily
involveareconciliationofthesetwopotentiallyconflictingdiscoursalroles.This
heachievesthroughamodellingoftheplayer’smindbothwithinthespatio‐
temporalboundariesoftheallegedoffenceandbeyondthis,asthetemporally
extendedphenomenonofperceivedcharacter.Inotherwords,forthepurposesof
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21
thelegaljudgement,Ferdinandisgrantedaconceptuallifebeyondthealleged
offence,whereTerry,ineffect,isnot.
Modalisedsubjectivityandtheburdenandstandardofproof
ItisfurtherinterestingtonotetheheavilymodalisedlanguagethatRiddleusesto
framehismind‐modellingofbothTerryandFerdinand,aswellashisfinalverdict
onthecaseasawhole.Anexplicationofthefullrangeofmodalexpressionsin
Englishandthevariedapproachestotheirclassificationinlinguisticsisbeyondthe
scopeofthisarticle(foraselection,seeCoates,1983;HallidayandMatthiesson,
2013:176‐93;Nuyts,2001;Palmer,2001;Perkins,1983;Portner,2009).However,
inthe243‐wordextractexaminedabove,Riddleusesmodalisationofoneformor
anotheratotalof21times.Asonemightexpectinanextendedstatementof
subjectivejudgementandbelief,epistemicmodalityisparticularlyprominentin
theselines.EpistemicmodalityisusefullydefinedbyNuyts(2001:21)asthe
linguisticexpressionof‘anevaluationofthechancesthatacertainhypothetical
stateofaffairsunderconsideration…willoccur,isoccurring,orhasoccurredina
possibleworldwhichservesastheuniverseofinterpretationfortheevaluation
process’.Riddlestates,forinstance,‘Ithinkthisisareasonabledescription’,‘itis
unlikelyonthecentralpointthatheislying’,‘Icannotdiscountthepossibilitythat
hewasaware’(ouremphasis),andsoon,ashesummarisessomeoftheevidence
presentedtohimoverthecourseoftheproceedingsandexpressesthedegreeof
confidencehehasinit.However,themind‐modellingcomponentofthepassage
alsoleadsRiddletoembedtheattitudesofotherswithinthemodaliseddiscourse
throughwhichheexpresseshisownsubjectivity.Forexample,heusesaboulomaic
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22
modallexicalverbinhismodellingofFerdinand’swishes(‘hewouldhave
preferrednottobeinvolvedinthistrialatall’[ouremphasis]).Oftenoverlookedin
agooddealofearlyresearchonmodality,boulomaicmodalityisbestunderstood
asthemeansthroughwhichaspeaker’srelativelikeordislikeofaparticularstate
ofaffairsisexpressed(see,forexample,Lyons,1977;Nuyts,2006;Perkins,1983;
Simpson,1993;seealsoGiovanelli,2013foranextensivetreatmentfroma
specificallyTextWorldTheoryperspective).ItisemployedbyRiddlehereto
demonstratehisowninterpretationofFerdinand’sattitudetohisparticipationin
thehearing,alongsidewhichRiddlealsomakesfurtheruseofepistemicmodality
inhisspeculationsonFerdinand’sknowledge(e.g.‘Hemayeasilyhave
misremembered’,‘hesayshewasunaware’,‘hewasawareofthecommentsdirected
athim,andfounditeasiertosayhewasn’t’[ouremphasis]).
ThedensityofmodaloperatorsatworkinRiddle’sdiscoursebecomesof
crucialimportanceinhisclosingparagraphs,inwhichhestateshisfinaljudgement
onthecase:
Weighingalltheevidencetogether,IthinkitishighlyunlikelythatMrFerdinandaccusedMrTerryonthepitchofcallinghimablackcunt.HoweverIacceptthatitispossiblethatMrTerrybelievedatthetime,andbelievesnow,thatsuchanaccusationwasmade.TheprosecutionevidenceastowhatwassaidbyMrFerdinandatthispointisnotstrong.MrColegivescorroborating(althoughfarfromcompellingcorroborating)evidenceonthispoint.Itisthereforepossiblethatwhathesaidwasnotintendedasaninsult,butratherasachallengetowhathebelievedhadbeensaidtohim.
(Riddle,2012:14‐15)
Theepistemicmodalitypresentinthisparagraphexpressesarelativelyweak
commitmentofbelieftoanumberofpropositions,includingthat‘MrFerdinand
accusedMrTerryonthepitchofcallinghimablackcunt’,that‘MrTerrybelieved…
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23
thatsuchanaccusationwasmade’(whichitselfcontainsanembeddedepistemic
modal,modellingTerry’sbeliefs),and‘thatwhathesaidwasnotintendedasan
insult’(again,containingembeddeddeonticmodality).Ineachcase,Riddlechooses
amodalisedformoveranalternative,non‐modalisedcategoricalassertion,
consequentlyallowingforanelementofdoubtinhisevaluation.Incognitiveterms,
hepositionsthemodalisedpropositionatagreaterepistemicdistancefromhis
owndiscourse‐worldthanthatwhichanunmodalisedpropositionwouldoccupy.
TextWorldTheoryviewsallmodalityasworld‐formingandarguesthatlinguistic
instancessuchasthoseoutlinedaboverequireanewmentalrepresentation,a
‘modal‐world’(seeGavins,2007:91‐125),tobecreatedinthemindofthehearer
orreaderthroughwhichtheremotenatureofthepropositioncanbe
conceptualisedandunderstood.Figure2illustrates,throughTextWorldTheory
notation,howsuchepistemicdistanceisconstructedinRiddle’sdiscourseatthis
point.
Tothefarleftofthediagramcanbeseenthetext‐worldofRiddle’s
judgement,inwhichhepositionshimself,weighinguptheevidencewhichhas
beenbroughtbeforehimoverthecourseofthecaseandexpressinghisopinionon
it.Fromwithinthis,heexpressesrelativelyweakepistemiccommitmenttothree
separatepropositions,byusingtwoepistemicmodallexicalverbs,‘Ithink’and‘I
accept’,andthemodalisedadjectivalconstruction,‘Itisthereforepossiblethat’.
Thesecanbeseenemergingfromthematrixtext‐worldasepistemic(‘EPS’)
modal‐worlds.Ineachcase,aremoteconceptualspaceiscreatedthroughwhich
theepistemicdistanceofthepropositionconcernedcanbeexpressedand
understood.However,ineachcasethisconceptualdistanceisnoteasilyresolved,
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asineachcaseafurtherinstanceofmodalembeddingoccurs.Forexample,atthe
topofthediagramisshowntheinitialepistemicmodal‐worldwhichiscreated
whenRiddlestates‘Ithink’inthefirstlineoftheextract.Riddlethenmodalises
whathethinkswithafurtherepistemicadjectivalconstruction,‘itishighly
unlikelythat’.Thisaddsanotherlayerofuncertaintytothecorepropositionthat
‘MrFerdinandaccusedMrTerryonthepitchofcallinghimablackcunt’,whichhas
alreadybeenpositionedremotelyfromRiddleinthematrixtext‐worldasa
productofhisthinking,ratherthanacategoricalassertion.
INSERTFIGURE2ASCLOSETOHEREASPOSSIBLE
AsimilarpatternofembeddedmodalityoccurswhenRiddlemakesthe
statementalreadytoucheduponearlierinthisarticleasplayingacrucialrolein
thepossibleinterpretationofTerry’swordsasechoicirony:‘Iacceptthatitis
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25
possiblethatMrTerrybelievedatthetime,andbelievesnow,thatsuchan
accusationwasmade’.Figure2nowprovidesaddeddetailoftheconceptual
structurerelatingtothisstatement,showninthemiddleofthediagram.Once
more,Riddlefollowsaninitialepistemicmodallexicalverb,‘Iaccept’,withfurther
modalisation,‘itispossiblethat’,againcreatingonemodal‐worldembeddedwithin
another.Inthiscase,however,theembeddingreachesafurtherremotepoint,as
RiddlemodelsTerry’sstateofmindattwoseparatetemporalpoints:‘MrTerry
believedatthetime,andbelievesnow’.Themodal‐worldswhichresultareshown
tothefarrightofFigure2,thefirstbearingatemporalsignatureofOctober2011,
signalledbythesimplepasttenseused,andthesecondrelatingtoJuly2012,
signalledbyRiddle’sshifttothesimplepresent.This,itcouldbeargued,istheonly
pointatwhichtheChiefMagistrateappearstoestablishatemporalcontinuityin
Terry’scharacter.However,hearticulatesthisnotasacontinuousprocess(as,for
example,mightbeachievedinaconstructionsuchas‘MrTerryhasalways
believed…’),butbypresentingtwoisolatedtemporalmomentsindistinctmodal‐
worlds.
Finally,Riddleattemptstomind‐modelTerryafurthertime,bystatingthat
itis‘possiblethatwhathesaidwasnotintendedasaninsult,butratherasa
challengetowhathebelievedhadbeensaidtohim’.Theconsequentmodal‐worlds
areshownatthebottomofFigure2.Here,RiddlebeginsbyembeddingTerry’s
beliefsandintentionsatthetimehesaidthewords‘fuckingblackcunt’withinan
epistemicmodal‐worldwhichcouchesthismind‐modellingasapossible
interpretationonly.Hethencreatesafurthertwomodal‐worlds,thefirstofwhich
(‘whathesaidwasnotintendedasaninsult’)isboulomaicinnatureandalso,
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26
crucially,negated(signalledinTextWorldTheorynotationthroughtheuseofa
dottedline).Inlinewithothercognitive‐linguistictheories,negationisregarded
fromatext‐worldperspectiveashavingafundamentallyforegroundingeffectin
discourse,sincenegatedpropositionsmustfirstbeconceptualisedaspositive
manifestationsinorderthentobe‘unconceptualised’(seeHidalgoDowning,
2000aforafullexplication;seealsoGavins,2007and2013;GavinsandStockwell,
2012;HidalgoDowning,2000b;Lakoff,2004;andNahajec,2009).Thus,inRiddle’s
finalassessmentoftheintentionsbehindTerry’suseofthewords‘fuckingblack
cunt’,theassessmentonwhichtheentirecourtcasehinges,theChiefMagistrate
firstpositionsTerry’sdefenceasapossibilityrelativelyremotefromthetext‐
world;hethenchoosesasyntacticstructurewhichleadsthepositiveproposition
thatTerrydidintendthewordsasaninsulttobeconceptualisedbeforeits
negativevaluecanbeunderstood.Furthermore,Riddleco‐locatesthisnegated
modal‐worldwiththeepistemicmodal‐worldcontainingTerry’sbeliefaboutwhat
hadbeensaidtohim,providedasamotivationforhisbehaviourandalso
expressedasapossibility.
Itisimportanttonoteatthispointthattheburdenofproofincriminal
proceedingsintheUnitedKingdomtypicallylieswiththeprosecution,whomust
provethecaseagainstadefendantbeyondallreasonabledoubt,thestandardof
proofinsuchtrials.WhatRiddle’suseofmodalityinhisfinaljudgementoutlines
arethepointsatwhichreasonabledoubtremainsintheprosecution’scaseagainst
Terry.ThepossibilityRiddleidentifies,thatTerrydidnotintendtousethewords
‘fuckingblackcunt’towardsFerdinandasaninsult,howeverremotelythismaybe
positionedintheoverallconceptualstructureofhisdiscourse,necessarilymeans
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thattheChiefMagistratemustfindthedefendantnotguiltyofthechargesbrought
againsthim.Specifically,onthebasisofthecriminalburdenandstandardofproof,
RiddlefindsthatTerryisnotguiltyofusing
threatening,abusiveorinsultingwordsorbehaviourordisorderly behaviourwithinthehearingorsightofapersonlikelytobecaused harassment,alarmordistressandtheoffencewasraciallyaggravatedin accordancewithsection28oftheCrimeandDisorderAct1998. (Riddle,2012:1).
EventhoughRiddlestatesthathefindsit‘highlyunlikelythatMrFerdinand
accusedMrTerryonthepitchofcallinghimablackcunt’,thisepistemicmodal‐
worldexistsonthesameontologicallevelasthatconstructedbythedefence’s
accountofTerry’sintentionsandmotivationsanddoesnot,therefore,negatethis
explanationofeventsasequallypossibleinRiddle’sview.
IncivillegalproceedingsintheUnitedKingdomtheburdenandstandardof
proofdifferfromthoseincriminalcases.Aswehavenotedseveraltimesalready,
followingtheresolutionofTerry’scriminaltrial,andspecificallyfollowinghis
admissionthatheusedthewords‘fuckingblackcunt’duringtheLoftusRoad
match,theRegulatoryCommissionoftheFootballAssociationhelditsown
disciplinaryhearingontheincidentinSeptember2012(FAJGT,2012).The
commissionchargedTerrywith‘MisconductpursuanttoRuleE.3(1)ofitsRules
andRegulations,whichincludedareferencetotheethnicoriginand/orcolour
and/orraceofMr.FerdinandwithinthemeaningofRuleE.3(2)’(FAJGT,2012:6).
Thecommissiongoesontodefinetheburdenandstandardofprooftowhichtheir
hearingaccordswithintheirrulingonthecase,asfollows:
TheburdenofprovingthechargerestswiththeFA…Theapplicablestandardofproofshallbetheflexiblecivilstandardofthebalanceofprobability.Themoreserioustheallegation,takingintoaccountthe
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natureoftheMisconductallegedandthecontextofthecase,thegreatertheburdenofevidencerequiredtoprovethematter.
(FAJGT,2012:9)
TheshiftherefromthestandardofreasonabledoubtappliedbyRiddleinthe
criminaltrialtoalowerstandardofthebalanceorpreponderanceofprobability
hadsignificantconsequencesforTerry.Mostinterestingly,Riddle’suseofmodality
intheearlierlegalproceedingscomesunderextended,closescrutinyintheFA’s
rulingastheynote,inparticular,that‘Mr.Terry’scredibilityintheeyesoftheChief
Magistrateappearstohavehaditslimitations’(FAJGT,2012:31).
Overthreepagesintheirjudgementonthematter,theFAoutlinetheways
inwhichtheybelieveRiddle’slackofconfidenceinTerry’scredibilitycanbe‘found
inthewaytheChiefMagistrateexpressed[his]findings’(FAJGT,2012:25).Eachof
theexamplesofRiddle’slanguagetheygoontociteisaformofmodalisation,as
theFAquotethemagistrate’srepeateduseof‘highlyunlikely’,‘inherently
unlikely’,and‘possible’,concludingthat
itistolerablyclearfromthepreciseandcarefullanguageinwhichhecouchedtheabovefindingsthattheChiefMagistratewouldnothavebeensatisfied,onabalanceofprobabilities,theMr.FerdinanddidaccuseMr.Terryonthepitchofcallinghima‘blackcunt’.Inparticular,hisuseofthewords‘inherentlyunlikely’inthatcontextwouldobviouslybeinconsistentwithafindingtothecivilstandardofproofthatMr.Ferdinanddidusethewords‘blackcunt’first.
(FAJGT,2012:27)
Indeed,theFAdonotstopatasimpleidentificationoftheepistemicdistanceat
whichRiddlepositionsvariouspropositionsandaninterpretationofhis
consequentruling.TheirownjudgementontheincidentbetweenTerryand
Ferdinandincludesapoint‐by‐pointcommentaryonseveralofRiddle’s
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assessments,alongsideaseriesofcategoricalassertionsoftheFA’scontrasting
evaluationoftheevidence.TheFAconcludesthefollowingpoints:
(i) ThatMr.FerdinanddidnotaccuseMr.Terryofraciallyabusinghimanddidnotusetheword‘black’oranywordsthatcouldhavebeenheard,understood,ormisunderstoodbyanyonetohaveanykindofreferenceto,orcontextwith,skincolour,raceorethnicity.Wearedriventoconcludenotjustthatitis‘highlyunlikely’thatMr.FerdinandaccusedMr.Terryonthepitchofcallinghima‘blackcunt’,butthathedidnot.
(ii) ThatMr.Terrydidnothear,andcouldnothavebelieved,
understoodormisunderstoodMr.Ferdinandtohaveusedtheword‘black’,oranyword(s)thatmighthavesuggestedthathewasaccusingMr.Terryofraciallyabusinghim.
(iii) ThatMr.Coledidnothear,andcouldnothavebelieved,
understoodormisunderstoodMr.Ferdinandtohaveusedtheword‘black’oranyotherwordbeginningwiththeword‘B’thathadanyreferenceto,orcontextwith,skincolour,raceorethnicity[...]
(iv) ThatinthebrieftimethatittookMr.Ferdinandtoadvanceupthe
pitchtowardsMr.Terry,itisimprobablethatthefocusofMr.Ferdinand’sabuseandinsultsofMr.Terrywouldhavechangedsoquicklyfromanallegationofanaffair,tooneinvolvingskincolour,orrace.
(v) Apartfromtheinitialphaseoftheincidentasawhole,Mr.Terry
andMr.Ferdinandwereneverclosertooneanotherthananestimateddistanceof19metres.Ininterview,Mr.Terryestimatedthedistancebetweenthemtobebetween20and35yardsduringthecrucialphaseoftheirexchange.LoftusRoadisasmall,compactground.Thecrowdisclosetothepitch.Witnessescommentonthenoisethatisgenerated,includingMr.Terryhimself.Accordingly,whenheturnedtofacetheplay,andprepareforthefreekick,Mr.TerrywouldhaveseenthepumpingfistgestureofMr.Ferdinand,butitisunlikelythathewouldhaveheardanythingthatthelattermayhavebeensaying.
(FAJGT,2012:32‐33)
IncontrastwithRiddle’slanguage,themajorityofthisdiscourseisunmodalised.
RatherthanpositioningtheirviewontheTerry/Ferdinandincidentwithinremote
modal‐worldsofpossibilityandlikelihood,theFAconstructrepresentationsofthe
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eventmainlyatthetext‐worldlevel.Therulingdoes,however,includethreekey
epistemicmodals:‘Mr.Ferdinand…didnotusetheword‘black’oranywordsthat
couldhavebeenheard,understood,ormisunderstood’;‘Mr.Terrydidnothear,
andcouldnothavebelieved,understoodormisunderstoodMr.Ferdinandtohave
usedtheword‘black’’;and‘Mr.Coledidnothear,andcouldnothavebelieved,
understoodormisunderstoodMr.Ferdinandtohaveusedtheword‘black’’.
Alongsidetheeffectofthesyntacticparallelismitselfhere,theepistemicoperator
‘could’isusedinconjunctionwithnegationineachinstance,compoundingthe
foregroundednatureofthesestatements,asoutlinedearlierinthisarticle.
Negationisrepeatedthroughoutthesummary,infact,eachtimewiththesame
foregroundingeffect:‘Mr.Ferdinanddidnot’,‘hedidnot’,‘Mr.Terrydidnot’,‘Mr.
Coledidnot’,andsoon.Onlytwootherepistemicmodalsareusedinthispassage,
whentheFAstatesthatitis‘improbable’thatanyinsultsfromFerdinandwould
haveswitchedtopicsandthatitis‘unlikely’thatTerrywouldhaveheard
Ferdinandanywayfromhispositiononthepitch.Ineachofthesecases,whichare
notaccompaniedbyorembeddedwithinnegatedsyntacticstructures,the
modalisationisusedtosupportabalanceofprobabilitythatTerry’sintentionwas
toinsultFerdinandandthatthisabusewasraciallyaggravated.Itisthroughthis
discursiveconstructionoftheeventthattheFA’sguiltyverdictonTerrybecomes
aninevitability,justasRiddle’scontraryverdictonthesamecasewasitself
inevitablewithinitsownlegalframeworkanddiscursivesystem.Whatis
highlightedbythecomparisonofthelinguisticstrategiesemployedbythe
participantsineachsituationandtheconsequentconceptualstructurescreatedin
theseparateLWMCandFAJGThearingsisnotsomuchtheirinconsistencyas
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31
opposingjudgements,buttheirinexorablenessgivencompetingandirreconcilable
standardsandburdensofproof.
ConcludingRemarks
Overthecourseofthisarticle,thelinguistic,pragmaticandcognitivestrategies
thatstructureRvJohnTerry–fromtheinitialverbalencounteronthefootballfield
toitslegalrepercussionsacrosstwoinvestigations–havebeenexploredusinga
rangeoftheoreticalmodels.Ouranalytictoolkithasofnecessitybeenbothcatholic
andeclecticinordertoprobeinitiallythemicro‐dynamicsoftheexchangethat
activatedtheeventandsubsequentlytopositionthisexchangeinthecontextofthe
broader,andultimatelyopposing,positionsindiscourseadoptedbythelegal
parties.Thus,theanalysishasprogressedfromapreliminaryfocusonthe
pragmaticstrategiesofspokendiscourse,exploringamongstotherthingsspeech
acts,echoicmentionandmockimpoliteness,intoabroaderassessmentofthe
development,asnarrative,ofthediscursiveeventitselfandofthedifferent
perspectivesandexperiencesofeachparticipantintheevent.Theexplorationof
narrativisationdrewonmodelsofmodalityandTextWorldTheoryandwas
especiallyconcernedwiththelegalsystem’sconceptualmind‐modellingofthe
participantsFerdinand,TerryandCole.Ofparticularinterestwasthetransition
fromthemagistrate’smind‐modellingandcharacterconstructionintothe
discourseoftheFAJGTdocument,whichrejectstheearlierassessmentofLWMC
andwhichconcludes,onthebalanceofprobability,thatTerry’sintentionwasafter
alltoinsultandthathisutterancewasraciallyaggravated.Moreover,asit
develops,thenarrativebecomesprogressivelymoreself‐reflexiveandmeta‐
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discoursal.Forinstance,theepistemicdistanceembodiedintheLWMCrulingis
addressedhead‐onbytheFA,whereaseriesofcategoricalassertionssitin
counterpointtotheperceivedlackofconfidenceinmagistrateRiddle’sassessment
ofTerry’scredibility.
ItissuggestedthroughoutthisarticlethatthediscursiveeventthatisRv
JohnTerryissituatedattheconfluencebetweenlanguage,discourseandsociety,
and,moreover,thatitisobfuscatedbyrelationsofpowerandauthoritythrough
themediaandthelaw.Wealsoacknowledgethattheeventisfurthersuffusedby
bothissuesofraceandbyperceptionsofnationhoodembracedbycontemporary
footballculture.Asnoted,TerrywasthethencaptainoftheEnglishnational
footballteam.AntonFerdinandisthebrotherofRioFerdinand,anotherhigh‐
profileinternationalfootballerwhowasregularlyvice‐captain,andonceselected
tobecaptain,ofthesamenationalside.AninjurytoRioFerdinandin2010meant
thatTerrywasre‐instatedaspermanentEnglandcaptain.However,thepossible
allegiancesofAshleyColearemorecomplexagain:ablackfootballerandmember
ofthesamenationalside,butamemberofthesameclubsideasTerryandone
whoofferedcorroboratingevidenceforhisteammate.Thiscreatedadeeply
problematicschismfortheinstitutionofEnglishfootballanditsgoverningbody,
withpressurebothtoreproduceandmaintainsocial,culturalandethniccohesion,
buttoinvestigativerobustlyanyeventthatmightbeconstruedasracist,and
certainly,anyeventthatmightconstitutearaciallyaggravatedpublicorder
offence.
Thepositionsadoptedinthisdiscursiveeventwerearguablyatypicalin
thattheywerecross‐cutbythecompetingconcernsofrace,colour,andallegiance
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33
toclubandcountry.Unsurprisingly,thesepositionswerecompoundedbythe
mediatedreactionandcommentaryoffootballsupporters,throughblogs,tweets
andothersocialmedia.Althoughwehavenosolidempiricalevidenceatthisstage,
atrendseemedtobethatthehostilityandabusedirectedtowardsTerryonsocial
mediawasindirectproportiontothedegreeofperceivedrivalrybetweenhisand
otherclubs.ItwasprobablynocoincidencethereforethattwofansofrivalLondon
clubWestHamwerearrestedduringamatchagainstChelseainMarch2013,for
allegedcointhrowingandforotherverbalabusedirectedtowardsTerry.
ThereisnodoubtthenthatthecaseofRvJohnTerrycapturedthepublic
imagination,inthesensethatitwasplayedoutextensivelythroughthediscourse
ofsportspundits,footballsupportersandsocialcommentators.LikeBishopand
Jaworski(2003),weareinterestedinthediscursiveandrepresentationalpractices
(insport)throughwhichmodernnationsareimagined.However,whereBishop
andJaworskiexplorefeelingsofnationalbelonging,theoutcomeofourstudyhas
beenmoretodowithasenseofnationaldisjunctionthatfollowedinthewakeof
thisepisode.Moreover,thefindingsofthepresentarticledosuggestthatfootball
authoritieshaveconsiderablegroundtomakeupwhendealinginaconsistentand
transparentmannerwithallegedracism.Forinstance,Christenson(2012)notes
thatininstancesofconfirmedracistabusebyfansofnationalsides,theaverage
fineimposedbyEuropeangoverningbodyUEFAisaround£15,000.
Contextualisingthepaucityofsuchfines,Christenson(2012:2)comments
acerbicallyonthecaseofDanishinternationalfootballerNicklasBendtner,who
celebratedagoalbyrevealing‘unapproved’underweardisplayingthelogoofan
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Irishbettingchain.Bannedfromasubsequentworldcupqualifier,Bendtner’sfine
forsuch‘improperconduct’was£80,000.
Insum,itishopedthatthesynthesisinthisarticleoflinguisticpragmatics,
discourseanalysisandcognitivelinguisticsenablesafullerunderstandingofthe
discursiveeventthatplayedoutasRvJohnTerry.Thevarioustheoreticalmodels
employedherehaveprobeddifferentaspectsofitstransformationindiscourse,
fromfootballfieldthroughtotheFAverdict.Itishasbeenourcontentionthatthe
eventconstitutesacomplexweboflinguisticstructuresandstrategiesin
discourse,bestapproachedwithabroadrangeofanalytictools.Atthecoreofthe
analysishasbeenafocusonthediscursivelyenigmaticassumptionthatracist
wordsmaybeusedbyaspeakerwhoisnotracist.Finally,itishopedthatthe
presentstudycomplementsthegrowingbodyofresearchworkincritical
discoursestudiesthatexplorestheintersectionbetweendiscourse,sportand
culture.
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