The difference in style is well reflected in how you testify at court. The country folk testify in groups in collective oath. Under proper Muslim law, you testify as an individual. The collective oath of the tribesmen is really an expression of commitment to the group, an expression of a willingness to bear responsibility with it. It is not a testimony to matters of factual accuracy, which is the purpose of the oath offered by the individual in an urban trial.

Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking…, loc. 2007