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Abstract

This article examines the language of criminal justice and restorative justice by addressing the questions: who speaks, where they speak, how they speak, and what is said in each context. Through linguistic, symbolic, and pragmatic analysis, it highlights the sharp contrast between the technical, assertive, and sanction-oriented language of criminal trials and the relational, narrative, and transformative language of restorative dialogue. The comparison extends from physical settings (courtrooms vs. restorative circles) to communicative styles (cross-examination vs. active listening), from cognitive modes to the use of metaphors and emotions, ultimately outlining two different anthropologies of conflict and reparation.