The Language of COPS
Introduction
Television programs have played a central part in portraying features of
American popular culture. From cowboys to courtroom dramas, these programs,
among others, give viewers a picture of different cultural expressions of events
that constitute life in the nation. Furthermore, these programs could be
considered therapeutic; they get us away from the rituals of daily life. One
program that can be considered as a feature of popular culture is the often-aired
program COPS. We use the term culture within the sociological definition as a
way of life expressed in art and artifact that characterize a people.
There are several approaches that I could use to examine a program such
as COPS as a reflection of popular culture. For example, I could look at the topic
of officer recruitment in light of the emphasis on diversity in the workplace,
officer training, relationship of police officials to the courts and to the community
that they serve, methods of crime reduction, and so on. It goes without saying
that investigators explore areas of inquiry that reflect their training or areas of
curiosity. As an individual interested in the study of language in its social
context, I have found that the program COPS provides data for analysis.
Language in Its Social Context
As Pandit notes, language is put to use in a society; any instance of
verbal en 6