Análisis lingüístico y estereotipos en una sentencia penal chilena

Abstract

This article uses elements of systemic functional linguistics developed by the Sydney School, along with stereotypes theory to analyze two fragments of a Chilean criminal sentence, which was chosen intentionally. The research applied a segmentation to the text and selected two segments to perform a linguistic and stereotypes analysis. The analysis shows that the judges partially evaluated the credibility of the only defense witness. In turn, the analysis of stereotypes shows the presence of a normative stereotype implicit in the text of the sentence. This stereotype refers to the witness' maternal role in her relationship with the defendant. It is concluded that the use of the stereotype is not justified because the judges did not present any evidence that the stereotype used was applicable to the case.