Use the Tab and Up, Down arrow keys to select menu items.
How can we use linguistics to solve crimes? In this course, students will learn how linguistic analysis is used in legal settings. We ask (1) What can a spoken or written text tell us about its author(s)? (2) What factors facilitate author attribution and what factors complicate it? (3) Is there really such a thing as a 'linguistic fingerprint', allowing us to categorically identify someone just from a recording of their voice or a piece of their writing? And (4) What is involved in 'being a forensic linguist'?
It is very common in TV police shows (e.g. in the CSI. . . series) to see a recording of a voice being loaded into a police computer, and then, after only a minute, seeing a photograph of a face with an exact - and always precisely accurate - identication of the speaker. This very fast and very efficient procedure is a work of fiction. It is possible to identify some characteristics of a speaker from their voice (e.g. sex, age, regional origin, even their height), but this cannot be done automatically by a computer alone. It requires a forensic linguist - an analyst with thorough training in linguistics. In this course, students will learn how linguistic analysis is used in legal settings. We ask: (1) What can a spoken or written text tell us about its author(s)? (2) What factors facilitate author attribution and what factors complicate it? (3) Is there really such a thing as a "linguistic fingerprint", allowing us to categorically identify a speaker just from a recording of their voice or a piece of their writing? (4) What is involved in "being a forensic linguist"? (5) How can linguistic analysis expose language-based power plays, inequalities and injustices in the legal process? and (6) How can linguistic analysis help minority and minorized groups better access legal services? Students will study how linguistic techniques are used to uncover issues of authorship/speakership (e.g. ransom demands, kidnappings, plagiarism), issues of speaker identication (e.g. nuisance callers, threats over the telephone) issues of language identication (e.g. speaker proling, including identication of a speaker's likely origin), content resolution in cases of disputed utterances (such as in the recent retrial of David Bain), and how sociolinguistic analysis exposes power relationships in the courtroom.
Subject knowledgeBy the end of the course, you will:* have a clear understanding of the nature of forensic linguistics and forensic speech science as specialised fields of linguistics* be able to demonstrate the falsehoods portrayed in popular representations of forensic linguistic work (e.g.in the media, on FaceBook, etc.);I understand the types of data collected and utilised in forensic linguistics, including the issues of ethics and condentiality of data;* be able to demonstrate awareness of some of the main legal cases around the world (mainly in Aotearoa New Zealand, UK, and the USA) which have involved linguistic evidence and shaped the field;* understand the role of the forensic linguist in legal cases.Skills and personal attributesBy the end of the course, you will have developed your skills in:* academic writing: you will be given the opportunity to present data, argumentation, ndings and references in a written form;* analysis & interpretation: you will practice analysing and interpreting data and drawing appropriate conclusions.* argumentation and evaluation: you will practice critically evaluating a particular hypothesis or argument in relation to a specific area of forensic linguistic investigation;* personal organisation: you will undertake self-directed study and develop appropriate time-management skills;* information technology: you will develop the ability to use basic IT skills to analyse data and present information.
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:
Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award
Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.
30 points at 100-level or above or relevant professional experience.
Viktoria Papp
There will be two take home exercises (Assignments 1 and 2). They will focus on an issue or topic, which you will be given. You will be asked to carry out an analysis of the data, and make inferences. Marks will be available for the analysis itself, the inferences you are able to make and the quality of the write-up. The final paper (Assignment 3) is going to be an extended literature review on a topic given by the instructor. The final paper will develop your skills not only in synthesizing literature but also helps you develop good practice in presenting your interpretation and conclusions about your readings. Learning how to present your (over)view in a convincing and technical manner is a very useful skill to take with you to other courses and outside the academic world.The Learn-based multiple choice Reading Quizzes will help you stay on top of the readings required for the class and will be evaluated three times during the semester.Tutorials will give you the chance to engage with real-life forensic data and enter into a discussion about their evaluation in a way that lectures do not allow us. Attending at least 6 out of the 11 tutorials will earn you 6% (capped at 6%).There is no midterm or final exam for LING225.
Coulthard, Malcolm. , Johnson, Alison; The Routledge handbook of forensic linguistics ; Routledge, 2010.
Optional readings will be distributed on Learn.
Domestic fee $746.00
International fee $3,038.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
This course will not be offered if fewer than 20 people apply to enrol.
For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .