Myriad meanings: Coded language and euphemisms on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

Dylan Drenk; Maria Shenouda; Barbora Holá; Annelies Vredeveldt

doi:10.35295/osls.iisl.2420

Autores/as

Dylan Drenk Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Maria Shenouda Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Barbora Holá Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Annelies Vredeveldt Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.2420

Palabras clave:

Testigo ocular, lenguaje, eufemismos, TPIR, justicia

Resumen

El lenguaje constituye un canal de transmisión fundamental de la cultura, las emociones y el significado social, especialmente en contextos judiciales donde los testimonios de los testigos conforman el expediente de los hechos. Este estudio examina de forma sistemática el uso del lenguaje codificado y los eufemismos en los testimonios de testigos oculares ante el Tribunal Penal Internacional para Ruanda (TPIR). A partir de un análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo de 64 transcripciones de juicios de dieciséis casos, investigamos cómo prevalecen formas lingüísticas culturalmente arraigadas y cómo se distribuyen por tipo de testigo. Contrariamente a las expectativas anecdóticas previas, encontramos que el lenguaje codificado y los eufemismos se utilizaron en los juicios con mucha menos frecuencia de lo previsto, y que eran los testigos expertos, más que los testigos de los hechos, los que los utilizaban mayoritariamente. Esta investigación contribuye a la creciente bibliografía sobre el lenguaje, el derecho y la cultura en los entornos de justicia posconflicto. Nuestros hallazgos ponen de relieve cómo las elecciones lingüísticas pueden afectar a la claridad de las pruebas, subrayan la importancia de la sensibilidad cultural en los juicios internacionales y sugieren vías para mejorar las prácticas de interpretación.

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