Forensic linguistics is a subfield of applied linguistics which sees linguistics applied to forensics and the law.
The most famous legal case which involved forensic linguistics is the Unabomber case, where the FBI compared Ted Kaczynski’s writings with the Unabomber manifesto. However, the term covers many areas of focus.
What is forensic linguistics?
Forensic linguistics explores the use and misuse of language in legal and forensic settings. Forensic linguists investigate written and spoken language.
There are several different ways forensic linguistics is applied to investigations including but not limited to:
- Authorship analysis: Determining the true author of a written text. For example, this is how the Unabomber case (see above) was solved.
- Discourse analysis: Linguistics investigate a given written or spoken correspondence between two or more people to see if a significant event occurred. For example, when the suspect in a 2021 case said “killy”, was that a term of endearment or describing how the suspect wanted to kill another?
- Dialectology: Linguists analyse a piece of writing or a spoken recording to identify the dialect of the author. Here, their goal is to determine the geographic origin and social class of the author. For example, linguists used dialectology during the Yorkshire Ripper murders to determine the speaker in a tape claiming to be the killer was from Wearside. Later, the tape and accompanying letters were determined to be a hoax.
How do you study forensic linguistics?
Most forensic linguists have at least a Bachelors degree in linguistics. You can follow this up with a Masters degree in linguistics, applied linguistics, or forensic linguistics.
There are only a few forensic linguistics Masters programs. In the United States, Hofstra University offers a two-year MA program. Meanwhile, in the UK, Cardiff University, Aston University, and Lancaster University all offer masters programs in forensic linguistics. Both Hofstra and Aston universities offer an online-only version of their programs, allowing students to complete their program requirements without having to relocate.
Working in forensic linguistics
There are three main areas of focus in work in forensic linguistics:
- Analyzing the language of written legal texts
- Analyzing spoken language as used in the legal process
- Testifying as an expert witness
Written legal texts: Forensic linguists look for ambiguities in written text which impact a layperson’s understanding of the document. For instance, how does one interpret a text based on the vocabulary, grammar, and/or punctuation used.
Spoken language in legal process: How are legal interviews, such as police interrogations conducted? Were leading questions asked? Was the interogated party a native speaker of the language they were questioned in and how did that impact their answers?
Expert witnesses: Forensic linguists provide their expertise in court with authorship analysis, discourse analysis, dialectology, etc.
References:
- What is Forensic Linguistics? | Language at UWE (YouTube)
- Forensic Linguist | Department of English | CSUSB
- From cold cases to criminal trials: the power of forensic linguistics | Law Society of NSW Journal
- Writing Wrongs | Aston University
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