Abstract
This paper emphasises the importance of studying "internal talk" of lawyers. There are two types of "talk": internal talk and external talk. The former is the talk from internal viewpoints, or that of speakers themselves, and the latter is the talk from internal viewpoints, or that of observers. There can be these two arguments on lawyers. Arguments on lawyers' image have been based on their external points of view. These arguments based on "external talk" can hardly grasp social aspects of lawyers' behaviours. In order to understand how lawyers represent themselves in this society, we need to focus on their "internal talk".
The author showed that lawyers construct their self-images through their "internal talk" in the process of dealing with their daily works. When constructing their self-images through their "internal talk", they use various social representations shared with most members of their reference group. Through their "internal talk", can we find what they think their role is, and where they are palced in our society.
