fsci 632 discussion 6

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Stevenson University *

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Linguistics

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Jan 9, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by ProfessorBoulder4886

An area of forensic linguistics is the study of patterns in a person's written and verbal communication that are used to determine their innocence or guilt. “Forensic Linguistics is the application of linguistic knowledge to a particular social setting, namely the legal forum. Forensic Linguistics is the interface between language, crime, and law, where law includes law enforcement, judicial matters, legislation, disputes, or proceedings in law, and even disputes which only potentially involve some infraction of the law or some necessity to seek a legal remedy” (Olsson, n.d.). Therefore, “perhaps like DNA, words and the ways we use language can potentially reveal features of ourselves, our intentions, and our actions, left hastily at the scene without our being aware of it” (Luu, 2017). Despite this, forensic linguistics does not rely on a singular theory to analyze, evaluate, and observe written and expressive dialogue, rather on a collection of research approaches and concepts developed over time. In Forensic Linguistics, research and conclusions are drawn from a variety of fields due to the complexities of human languages and how they are used within society. “The reason for this reliance on a broad spectrum of linguistic fields is understandable: the data the linguist receives for analysis may require that something is said about how the average person remembers language, how conversations are constructed, the kinds of moves speakers or writers make in the course of a conversation or a written text, or they may need to explain to a court some aspects of phrase or sentence structure” (Olsson, n.d.). Language science, or linguistics, is vital to forensic science, as it can assist investigators in determining whether a person is innocent or guilty based on their characteristics. Here, “Forensic Linguistics are also utilized, "...to provide investigative assistance or expert evidence for use in Court...Much of the evidence provided by linguists does not involve authorship identification, and the assistance a linguist may offer is not restricted to only providing evidence for criminal prosecution. Investigative linguists can be considered that portion of forensic linguistics which provides advice and opinions for investigative and evidential purposes” (Nordquist, 2019). As far as the Unabomber case is concerned, it was the brother and law enforcement team's collaboration that brought an end to Kaczynski's terrorist activities. In addition, “the Unabomber's writing style was recognized by family members, who, after investigating on their own, sadly realized that their findings had to be reported. In February 1996, the FBI was contacted by David Kaczynski, noting the similarities in the manifesto to the writings and philosophy of his older brother Ted. A linguistic analysis examined previous writings by Ted Kaczynski and determined that he was, in fact, the author of the manifesto, ultimately leading to his arrest” (Murphy, 2017). “The FBI used a simple computational method looking at word frequencies, spelling variants and the like to build up a linguistic profile in an attempt to compare and match up the authors” (Luu, 2017). Furthermore, Ted Kaczynski's written works, outlined in detail in the FBI's affidavit, have many similarities in content, style, and expression to the Unabomber's manifesto. A person with intimate knowledge of a person's writings and ideologies, such as David, could never have led the FBI to conclude that Ted Kaczynski was the author if he hadn't examined the manifesto in these newspapers and noticed distinct similarities; this was an excellent team effort whereby someone with such intimate knowledge could project this information to the FBI and lead to Ted Kaczynski's conviction. References:

Luu, C. (2017, August 1). JSTOR Daly. Retrieved from Fighting Words with the Unabomber: https://daily.jstor.org/fighting-words-unabomber/ Murphy, C. (2017, July 31). Patch. Retrieved from Forensic Linguistics & The Unabomber: https://patch.com/tennessee/knoxville/forensic-linguistics-unabomber Nordquist, R. (2019, July 3). ThoughtCo.Retrieved from What are Forensic Linguistics: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-forensic-linguistics-1690868 Olsson, J. (n.d.). Retrieved from What is Forensic Linguistics? http://www.thetext.co.uk

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