Forensic Linguistics Investigating Linguistic Evidence With Or Without Distortions

Essay from the year 2019 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 74, University of Greenwich (New York College), course: LING1009-Applied Linguistics, language: English, abstract: This essay will present four crimes where the investigation of spoken or written linguistic evidence, corrupt or incorrupt, played a key role to prove the importance of Forensic Linguistics as a discipline. Forensic linguistics is a branch of applied linguistics, where the accumulated knowledge of theoretical linguistics is applied to the field of forensic investigation in order to interpret linguistic evidence. It is a discipline which is based on the assumption that every person has a unique use of language, which is consistent and cannot be easily altered, almost like a fingerprint, namely the linguistic fingerprint and draws skills from fields such as phonetics, corpus linguistics and sociolinguistics to apply in criminal investigations. (Coulthard et al., 2016) in cases such as trademark disputes, cases for the defense etc. Forensic linguistics has more than often played a decisive role in the investigation of both spoken linguistic evidence such as recordings and written linguistic evidence, such as text messages, even when this evidence was in some way distorted. This paper will present methods in forensic linguistics and the role played by forensic linguistics in the investigation of written and spoken linguistic evidence in two cases where the evidence was corrupt and in two cases where the evidence was incorrupt.

Essay from the year 2019 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 74, University of Greenwich (New York College), course: LING1009-Applied Linguistics, language: English, abstract: This essay will present four crimes where the investigation of spoken or written linguistic evidence, corrupt or incorrupt, played a key role to prove the importance of Forensic Linguistics as a discipline. Forensic linguistics is a branch of applied linguistics, where the accumulated knowledge of theoretical linguistics is applied to the field of forensic investigation in order to interpret linguistic evidence. It is a discipline which is based on the assumption that every person has a unique use of language, which is consistent and cannot be easily altered, almost like a fingerprint, namely the linguistic fingerprint and draws skills from fields such as phonetics, corpus linguistics and sociolinguistics to apply in criminal investigations. (Coulthard et al., 2016) in cases such as trademark disputes, cases for the defense etc. Forensic linguistics has more than often played a decisive role in the investigation of both spoken linguistic evidence such as recordings and written linguistic evidence, such as text messages, even when this evidence was in some way distorted. This paper will present methods in forensic linguistics and the role played by forensic linguistics in the investigation of written and spoken linguistic evidence in two cases where the evidence was corrupt and in two cases where the evidence was incorrupt.

This edited book provides a comprehensive survey of the modern state of the art in forensic linguistics. Part I of the book focuses on the role of the linguist as an expert witness in common law and civil law jurisdictions, the relation of expert witnesses and lawyers, ethics standards, and courtroom interaction. Part II deals with some of the major areas of expertise of forensic linguistics as the scientific study of language as evidence, namely authorship identification, speaker identification, text authentication, deception and lie detection, plagiarism detection, and cyber language crimes. This book is intended to be used as a reference for academics, students and practitioners of Linguistics, Forensic Linguistics, Law, Criminology, and Forensic Psychology, among other disciplines.

An Introduction to Forensic Linguistics: Language in Evidence has established itself as the essential textbook written by leading authorities in this expanding field. The second edition of this bestselling textbook begins with a new introduction and continues in two parts. Part One deals with the language of the legal process, and begins with a substantial new chapter exploring key theoretical and methodological approaches. In four updated chapters it goes on to cover the language of the law, initial calls to the emergency services, police interviewing, and courtroom discourse. Part Two looks at language as evidence, with substantially revised and updated chapters on the following key topics: the forensic linguist forensic phonetics authorship attribution the linguistic investigation of plagiarism the linguist as expert witness. The authors combine an array of perspectives on forensic linguistics, using knowledge and experience gained in legal settings – Coulthard in his work as an expert witness for cases such as the Birmingham Six and the Derek Bentley appeal, and Johnson as a former police officer. Research tasks, further reading, web links, and a new conclusion ensure that this remains the core textbook for courses in forensic linguistics and language and the law. A glossary of key terms is also available at https://www.routledge.com/products/9781138641716 and on the Routledge Language and Communication Portal.

Methodologies and Challenges in Forensic Linguistic Casework Discover more about Forensic Linguistics, a fascinating cross-disciplinary field from an international team of renowned contributors Methodologies and Challenges in Forensic Linguistic Casework provides an overview of the range of forensic linguistic casework typically found in investigative and judicial contexts. In these case studies, the authors demonstrate how linguistic theory is applied in real-life forensic situations and the constraints and challenges they have to deal with. Drawing on linguistic expertise from the USA and Europe involving casework in English, Spanish, Danish and Portuguese, our contributing practitioners exemplify the most common types of text analysis such as identifying faked texts, suspect profiling, analyzing texts whose authorship is questioned, and giving expert opinions on meaning and understanding. Methodologies and Challenges in Forensic Linguistic Casework is designed for investigators and legal practitioners interested in the use of language analysis for investigative or evidentiary purposes, as well as for students and researchers wanting to understand how linguistic theory and analysis may be applied to solving real-life forensic problems using current best practice.

Overview of the interface of language and the law, illustrated with authentic data and contemporary case studies. Topics include collection of evidence, discourse, courtroom interaction, legal language, comprehension and forensic phonetics.

The Routledge Handbook of Forensic Linguistics offers a comprehensive survey of the subdiscipline of Forensic Linguistics, with this new edition providing both updated overviews from leading figures in the field and exciting new contributions from the next generation of forensic linguists. The Handbook is a unique work of reference to the leading ideas, debates, topics, approaches and methodologies in forensic linguistics and language and the law. It comprises 43 chapters, including entirely new contributions from many international experts, in the areas of Aboriginal claimants, appraisal and stance, author identities online, biased language in capital trials, corpus approaches, false confessions, forensic phonetics, forensic transcription, the historical courtroom, legal interpretation, multilingual law, police crisis negotiation, speaker profiling, and trolling. The chapters include a wealth of examples and case studies so the reader can see forensic linguistics applied and in action. Edited and authored by the world’s leading academics and practitioners, The Routledge Handbook of Forensic Linguistics is a vital resource for advanced students, researchers and scholars, and will also be of interest to legal, law enforcement and security professionals.

Researching Forensic Linguistics is an informative, hands-on guide to conducting research in forensic linguistics that can underpin legal and justice practices and address social justice problems involving language. Georgina Heydon takes readers step by step through the research process using case studies that draw on different types of forensic and legal language data such as police interviews, anonymous reports of sexual assault, threatening letters and justice stakeholder interviews. Each chapter is framed by a language problem arising from either forensic linguistic case work or a key issue in language and the law. Up-to-date research methods in forensic linguistics are presented, including authorship attribution using online corpora, practice-based linguistic analysis and experimental techniques. This is an ideal companion for linguists who want to apply their skills to a forensic setting, practitioners in the legal and justice fields seeking to understand how linguistic analysis can support their work, and any student undertaking research in forensic linguistics within English language, linguistics, applied linguistics and legal studies.