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.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Forensic Linguistics: Investigating Linguistic Evidence with or without Distortions
- Authorship Identification and the Amanda Birks Murder Case
- The Derek Bentley Case: A Miscarriage of Justice
- Forensic Speaker Identification
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to demonstrate the application of forensic linguistics in criminal investigations, focusing on both written and spoken evidence, and exploring cases where evidence was either intact or distorted. The analysis highlights the crucial role of corpus linguistics and forensic speaker identification in uncovering truth and preventing miscarriages of justice.
- Authorship Identification in Written Evidence
- Distortion of Linguistic Evidence in Legal Proceedings
- The Application of Corpus Linguistics in Criminal Investigations
- Forensic Speaker Identification in Spoken Evidence
- The Importance of Objective Linguistic Analysis in Justice
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
Forensic Linguistics: Investigating Linguistic Evidence with or without Distortions: This introductory chapter establishes the field of forensic linguistics as a branch of applied linguistics that uses linguistic knowledge to interpret evidence in forensic investigations. It emphasizes the uniqueness of individual language use and the application of various linguistic disciplines such as phonetics, corpus linguistics, and sociolinguistics in analyzing both written and spoken evidence, even when distorted. The chapter sets the stage for the case studies that follow, showcasing the critical role of forensic linguistics in ensuring justice.
Authorship Identification and the Amanda Birks Murder Case: This chapter details the investigation of the Amanda Birks murder using authorship identification techniques. The analysis focuses on text messages, comparing the linguistic styles of Amanda and her husband, Christopher. The use of corpus linguistics and the Wordsmith Tools is explained, highlighting how stylometric markers (word frequencies, non-word usage, etc.) helped identify Christopher as the author of suspicious messages sent after Amanda's death. The chapter demonstrates how objective linguistic analysis can provide crucial evidence in criminal cases.
The Derek Bentley Case: A Miscarriage of Justice: This chapter examines the Derek Bentley case, a notorious miscarriage of justice, to illustrate how distortion of linguistic evidence can lead to wrongful convictions. The ambiguous sentence "Let him have it, Chris" is analyzed, showing how different interpretations – a command to shoot versus a command to surrender – impacted the trial's outcome. The chapter focuses on the analysis of Bentley's police statement, revealing inconsistencies and linguistic features suggesting police manipulation. The case highlights the importance of objective linguistic analysis to prevent such miscarriages of justice.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Forensic linguistics, authorship identification, corpus linguistics, forensic speaker identification, stylometry, linguistic evidence, miscarriage of justice, text analysis, spoken evidence, Wordsmith Tools, case studies, objective analysis.
Forensic Linguistics: Investigating Linguistic Evidence with or without Distortions - FAQ
What is the main topic of this document?
This document is a comprehensive preview of a work on forensic linguistics. It details the application of linguistic analysis in criminal investigations, focusing on both written and spoken evidence, and exploring cases where evidence was either intact or distorted. The analysis highlights the crucial role of corpus linguistics and forensic speaker identification in uncovering truth and preventing miscarriages of justice.
What are the key themes explored in the document?
The key themes include authorship identification in written evidence, the distortion of linguistic evidence in legal proceedings, the application of corpus linguistics in criminal investigations, forensic speaker identification in spoken evidence, and the importance of objective linguistic analysis in ensuring justice.
What case studies are discussed?
The document features case studies of the Amanda Birks murder case (focusing on authorship identification through text message analysis) and the Derek Bentley case (highlighting a miscarriage of justice due to the misinterpretation of linguistic evidence).
What methodologies are used in the analysis?
The analysis utilizes various linguistic disciplines, including phonetics, corpus linguistics, and sociolinguistics. Specific tools and techniques mentioned include stylometry (analyzing word frequencies and non-word usage), and the use of software like Wordsmith Tools for corpus analysis.
What is the significance of the Derek Bentley case?
The Derek Bentley case serves as a prime example of how distortion and misinterpretation of linguistic evidence (specifically, the ambiguous sentence "Let him have it, Chris") can lead to wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice. The analysis of Bentley's police statement reveals potential inconsistencies and manipulation.
What is the role of corpus linguistics in forensic linguistics?
Corpus linguistics plays a crucial role by providing a framework for comparing linguistic styles and identifying patterns in large datasets of text or speech. This allows for objective comparisons between different authors or speakers, helping to establish authorship or identify inconsistencies in statements.
What are the objectives of the paper?
The paper aims to demonstrate the practical application of forensic linguistics in criminal investigations, showcasing its effectiveness in both written and spoken evidence analysis, and emphasizing the importance of objective analysis in achieving justice.
What are the key words associated with this document?
Key words include forensic linguistics, authorship identification, corpus linguistics, forensic speaker identification, stylometry, linguistic evidence, miscarriage of justice, text analysis, spoken evidence, Wordsmith Tools, case studies, and objective analysis.
What is covered in the chapter on Forensic Linguistics: Investigating Linguistic Evidence with or without Distortions?
This introductory chapter defines forensic linguistics and its applications in forensic investigations. It emphasizes the uniqueness of individual language use and explains how different linguistic disciplines are applied to analyze both intact and distorted evidence, setting the stage for subsequent case studies.
What is covered in the chapter on Authorship Identification and the Amanda Birks Murder Case?
This chapter details the investigation of the Amanda Birks murder using authorship identification techniques, focusing on the analysis of text messages to identify the author of suspicious messages. It explains the use of corpus linguistics and Wordsmith Tools to analyze stylistic markers.
- Citar trabajo
- Georgia Foskolou (Autor), 2019, Forensic Linguistics. Investigating linguistic evidence with or without distortions, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/498960
