The Routledge Handbook of Forensic Linguistics provides a unique work of reference to the leading ideas, debates, topics, approaches and methodologies in Forensic Linguistics.
Forensic Linguistics is the study of language and the law, covering topics from legal language and courtroom discourse to plagiarism. It also concerns the applied (forensic) linguist who is involved in providing evidence, as an expert, for the defence and prosecution, in areas as diverse as blackmail, trademarks and warning labels.
The Routledge Handbook of Forensic Linguistics includes a comprehensive introduction to the field written by the editors and a collection of thirty-seven original chapters written by the world’s leading academics and professionals, both established and up-and-coming, designed to equip a new generation of students and researchers to carry out forensic linguistic research and analysis.
The Routledge Handbook of Forensic Linguistics is the ideal resource for undergraduates or postgraduates new to the area.
Reviews
"This book is a theory-building contribution to forensic linguistics, valuable to scholars, practitioners and researchers in any of the areas of study of language and law: legal language, the language of the court and the judicial process, and language as evidence. Comprehensive, with many real data-driven examples, and full of methodological questions and answers; it deals with both the present dimensions and the new perspectives and challenges of this emerging discipline."
-M. Teresa Turell, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona)
"A major strength of this handbook is the vast academic and professional background of all of these contributors; this volume will certainly advance dialogue not just between linguists, but also among judges, court recorders and interpreters, lawyers,
police, and other members of law enforcement. This collaboration will bolster
new ideas and hybrid methodologies for future work in Forensic Linanalysis."
- Christopher D. Sams, Department of English, Stephen F. Austin State University
Contents
Johnson & Coulthard 1. Introduction Current Debates in Forensic Linguistics SECTION I – THE LANGUAGE OF THE LAW AND THE LEGAL PROCESS 1.1 Legal LanguageHolt and Johnson 2. Legal Talk. Sociopragmatic aspects of legal talk: police interviews and trial discourse. Bhatia 3. Legal Writing: Specificity Specification in legislative writing: issues of accessibility, transparency, power and control. Stygall 4. Legal Writing:Complexity Complex documents; average and not-so-average readers. Finegan 5. Legal Writing: Attitude and Emphasis Corpus linguistic approaches to ‘legal language’: adverbial expression of attitude and emphasis in supreme court opinions.Cao 6. Legal Translation Translating legal language 1.2 Participants in Police Investigations, Interviewing and Interrogation Drew and Walker 7. Citizens’ Emergency Calls Requesting assistance in calls to the police. Ain...
