#forensiclinguistics

[linguoverso]

Lingüística Forense

Por: Anthony Enríquez, 26 de Noviembre, 2021

La lingüística forense tiene como objetivo establecer la relación entre diferentes aspectos de la lengua y la ley, para así comprender la aplicación de conocimiento lingüístico en diferentes entornos sociales (Olsson, 2008). En cuanto a lo que a la lingüística forense le concierne, en cuanto a ley, el conocimiento lingüístico puede ser aplicable en casos jurídicos (de varias índoles) y en la identificación de la autoría de un texto o enunciado (Turell, 2010). Un lingüista forense debe determinar el uso de varias herramientas lingüísticas (como el análisis del discurso, el análisis de conversación, estructuras sintácticas y morfológicas, contraste fonético, etc.) para definir patrones a los que se les sea posible asignar un/a autor/a.

El lenguaje de uno

Brevemente hablando acerca de lo que John Olsson (2008) en su libro Forensic Linguistics ha esclarecido sobre la lingüística forense que cada uno tiene algo denominado una huella lingüística. Esto consiste en que cada individuo usa el lenguaje de diferente manera, formando así una colección de patrones sintácticos (y hasta morfológicos) particulares a uno mismo.  

De esta manera, se es posible analizar la manera en la que uno habla, escribe y redacta; lo que viene a ser útil para una investigación, pues el análisis de estos datos determina la intención de un texto o enunciado y se puede rastrear su autoría.

Lingüística forense a lo largo de la historia

A pesar de que se comprende a esta rama de la lingüística como relativamente reciente, este tipo de análisis de autoría se los ha realizado a lo largo de la historia (Olsson, 2008). Desde la Antigüedad, con la incógnita de Homero y sus textos, a los textos religiosos del cristianismo, hasta diversas obras de Shakespeare; se ha buscado reconocer la identidad de un texto, su intención y pertenencia; pues hoy en día, con la amplia recolección de conocimiento, saber su origen nos es importante.

¡Puedes encontrar más información acerca de este tema en el siguiente video!

Referencias:

Olsson, J. (2008). Forensic Linguistics: Second Edition (2.a ed.). Bloomsbury Academic.

Turrell, M. (2010). Lingüística Forense, Lengua y Derecho. Documenta Universitaria.

[magellanicpenguin]

so forensic linguistics and writing dialogue...

We, as writers, kinda assume our goal is to write as closely to natural speech as possible. By and large, I agree with this assumption (though there are definitely places where some authorial freedoms with reality are demanded), and thus I will now share an interesting observation on human conversation that was tucked into my forensic linguistics textbook.

Gricean Maxims

Grice, H.P. (1975) ‘Logic and conversation’ This dude Grice had some things to say about how conversations work. I guess you can read his article if you’re into it, but the thing my textbook focused on was what Grice observed and subsequently named the quantity maxim. Basically, your contributions to conversation are only as informative as required and never any more so. Everything you say is tailored for a specific addressee depending on what you assume is shared knowledge, opinions, and previously spoken dialogue. A common ground which very easily makes a normal conversation unintelligible for an eavesdropper. 

In forensic linguistics, when suspects are fabricating a lie, their audience is no longer just one specific listener, but also all the policemen, judges, lawyers, etc., and they may feel the need to fill in the gaps for that larger (legal) audience and break the quantity maxim. This happens with wholesale sentences and smaller units such as noun phrases i.e. saying the ‘small old pink cup’. In actual speech, long noun phrases like this are often broken up into two or three smaller pieces over the exchange. Over all, this explicitness is a sign of deception and falsehood. 

In writing, this breaking of the quantity maxim is fairly easy, as writing these days is very rarely omniscient third (which would know everything and wouldn’t be amiss to explain an extra thing or two) but some sort of limited (both third and first) and thus all of the prose is narration within a confined perspective. As we’re inherently sensitive to it, it’s very obvious when the writer breaks this quantity maxim and acknowledges that there is an outside audience (the reader) with uncomfortably direct, out of place information. This communication of information can be done well, but when it is done well, the reader doesn’t feel anything amiss at all with the information received. With poor writing, it takes the reader out of the experience. (Of course, as with anything, you could satirize such mistakes, as others have). Of course, the quantity maxim (the actual amount of information) is different between prose and actual in text dialogue, as well as between third person limited and first person limited, I would think. 

Conclusion

Yeah, that’s what I got for doing my homework for today. Honestly, I’ve always noticed this sort of thing, and just thought it was cool that someone had actually analyzed it. I related it to writing, but within forensic linguistics there’re a lot more cool analyses done with these sorts of maxims. I feel like this sort of thing is something all writers struggle with sometimes, both because we’ve often got everything at the ready in our heads and also because its hard to articulate exactly why writing it out for the reader would be wrong. Particularly identifying and cutting it out of your prose. I’m just really happy I have something to call it now. If this helps anyone else, beautiful. 

[caffeinated-linguist]

🎓 It’s official! Finally, I have officially mastered forensic linguistics! I’ll submit this to Hofstra’s library soon and share a link to my blog, for the curious among you. 😊 morbidlinguist.blogspot.com

[forensic-linguistics]

Title: Introduction to Forensic Linguistics: Unravelling Crimes Through Language

Introduction

Forensic linguistics, the application of linguistic techniques to investigate crimes where language data forms part of the evidence, has emerged as a crucial tool in modern law enforcement. With its roots in anthropology, psychology, sociology, and political science, the field has seen significant growth since the 1980s, with linguists now actively involved in matters such as voice identification and authorship profiling. This blog aims to introduce you to the central principles of forensic linguistics and its two main areas of focus: voice identification and author profiling.

Voice Identification (Forensic Phonetics)

Voice identification, also known as forensic phonetics, deals with analysing audio and video recordings to identify speakers. Its relevance has surged in recent years with the increasing reliance on such recordings in criminal trials. Key aspects of voice identification include:

1. Speaker Profiling: Linguists aim to narrow down the list of suspects by analysing speaker characteristics, such as age, regional background, individual peculiarities, and linguistic style.

2. Speaker Identification: By combining auditory and acoustic analysis, linguists determine whether a particular voice belongs to a known individual, helping establish a person's involvement in a recorded conversation or call.

3. Technical Issues: Linguists also address technical challenges like enhancing recording quality, transcribing intelligible speech from noisy audio, and investigating possible tampering with recordings.

4. Voice Lineups: Witnesses are presented with recordings of potential suspects to identify the perpetrator's voice based on characteristics like pitch or breathiness.

Author Profiling (Forensic Stylistics)

Author profiling, or forensic stylistics, focuses on determining the author of a particular text by comparing it with known writing samples. Linguists play a critical role in analysing forensic texts, which include various written or recorded messages used in criminal investigations, such as:

1. Emergency Calls: Linguists analyse urgent calls to identify specific features related to the incident and the caller's attitude.

2. Ransom Demands or Threat Texts: Linguistic profiling is employed to identify anonymous senders and assess potential threats.

3. Hate Mails: The goal is to distinguish genuine threats from expressions of hatred without actual intent to harm.

4. Suicide Letters: Linguists analyse suicide notes to ascertain the author's true intentions.

Linguistic Features in Author Profiling

Linguists rely on two central linguistic parameters—lexis (vocabulary) and grammar—when conducting author profiling. By identifying peculiarities and non-standard usages, linguists can narrow down a suspect list or positively identify an author. Examples include misspellings, omissions, unusual punctuation, and lexical choices.

Conclusion

Forensic linguistics has become an invaluable discipline in modern criminal investigations, shedding light on voice identification and author profiling. By utilising linguistic techniques to examine language data, forensic linguists assist law enforcement in narrowing down suspects, validating audio recordings, and determining the authors of written texts. The field continues to evolve, and practical analysis of real forensic data provides invaluable insights for aspiring forensic linguists.

[hofculctr]

Hofstra University

Forensic Linguistics with the FBI and the Hofstra Innocence Project Webinar

A webinar with Dr. Robert Leonard, program director of Hofstra’s Master of Arts (MA) in Forensic Linguistics, where he will discuss a murder case that he worked on and will challenge students to look for clues in the Stalker Letter and the Serial Killer Letter that he analyzed. He will also discuss internship opportunities with the Forensic Linguistics Innocence Project. As one of the world’s most prominent forensic linguists, Dr. Leonard is regularly consulted to work on cases involving language evidence with the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, the JTTF, and police and intelligence agencies around the world. He’s been featured on many TV shows such as Forensic Files, Uncovering the Truth, and Too Pretty to Live. Sign up now to join the discussion!

12/1, 1:30 p.m.

Virtual Event: Advance registration is required.

More info and to RSVP visit http://tiny.cc/392muz

[forensiclinguisticsanalyst]

ILMU FORENSIK

Secara sederhana Ilmu Forensik adalah Ilmu yang mempelajari tentang tata cara pemeriksaan dan pengumpulan bukti-bukti yang ditemukan pada suatu kejadian perkara untuk kemudian dihadirkan di dalam sidang pengadilan berdasarkan bidang keilmuan tertentu. 

Adapun kegunaan dari Ilmu Forensik yaitu untuk membuat terang suatu perkara atau tindak pidana dengan cara memeriksa dan menganalisa barang bukti agar :

1.Dapat menjelaskan dan membuktikan bahwa telah terjadi suatu tindak pidana;

2.Memberi Informasi tentang modus operandi;

3.Memberi Informasi Keterlibatan tersangka dengan korban;

4.Memberi Informasi Sebab-sebab terjadinya tindak pidana;

5.Dapat mengecek apakah keterangan yang diberikan oleh tersangka ataupun saksi berbohong atau tidak;

6.Dapat mengidentifikasi / membuat profile dan karakteristik pelaku;

Tahapan-tahapan dalam Ilmu Forensik :

1.Pengumpulan (Acquisition)

2.Pemeliharaan (Preservation)

3.Analisis (Analysis)

4.Presentasi (Presentation)

[impossiblefestinternet-blog]

#forensiclinguistics #linguistics #seminar #universityofnewengland #ausstralia (at Oorala Aboriginal Centre UNE)

[impossiblefestinternet-blog]

“What you talkin’ about Willis?’ Interpreting language for understanding #seminarseries #forensiclinguistics #education #universityofnewengland #ausstralia (at Ed Une)