Forensic linguistics on BBC Radio 4

An interview with Tim Grant for 'Word of Mouth', a programme exploring the way in which English is used nowadays in a variety of contexts, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 today. When interviewed by Michael Rosen last week, Tim covered many areas of forensic linguistics but the final edit concentrated on investigative techniques and discussed the Jenny Nicholl murder trial, sociolinguistic profiling of authors from written texts and the UNABOMBER case. You can listen to a recording of the programme on BBC Radio 4's website.

\ Posted on 06 May 2008

CFL Launch Symposium update

We are pleased to announce that prof. M. Teresa Turell of Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona has accepted our invitation to give a talk at the launch symposium. The final programme for the event on 13 May 2008 is now ready and available in the events section of this website.

\ Posted on 25 April 2008

A lecture in Brazil

On April 4th Malcolm Coulthard gave a lecture on forensic linguistics at the Catholic University of Pelotas in the south of Brazil. Despite the event being billed for 6.30-8.00 on a Friday evening, some 300 academic staff and students turned up, some of whom had travelled by coach from a university over an hour away. A week later Malcolm received an email from a student saying Brazil now has its own Malcolm, a local professor who has developed his own plagiarism detection software.

\ Posted on 18 April 2008

IIIRG Conference

Dr Tim Grant appeared as an invited speaker giving a keynote address to the first International Investigative Interviewing Research Group conference held at the University of Derby on 26 and 27 March 2008. The talk "Linguistic insights into the Investigative Interview" was delivered to an audience of about ninety police officers, practitioners and academics. Research presentations were delivered by delegates from across the world including representatives from China, Australia and across Europe. The other plenary speakers were Dr. Rebecca Milne of University of Portsmouth, speaking on "Investigative Interviewing: Harmonising research and practice", Professor Mark Kebbell of Griffith University, Australia, speaking on "How can suspected sex offenders be interviewed effectively and ethically?", and Gary Shaw, National Interview Advisor from the UK National Police Improvement Agency speaking on "The revised ACPO interviewing strategy".

PowerPoint slides from Tim Grant's presentation can be downloaded here.

\ Posted on 3 April 2008

CFL Launch Event

The new Centre for Forensic Linguistics at Aston University will be launched on 13 May 2008. The Centre, the first of its type in the world, combines leading-edge research, postgraduate and professional instruction and investigative forensic practice. The one-day launch conference with invited delegates from local and national police forces, the legal profession and academia will demonstrate the range and depth of the Centre's activities.

From the Centre, Malcolm Coulthard, Professor of Forensic Linguistics, will talk on 'The Work of the Forensic Linguist', Dr Krzysztof Kredens about the role of the interpreter in legal contexts and Dr Tim Grant about 'Investigative Linguistics as a Forensic Science'. In addition, Larry Solan, Don Forchelli Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School and former President of the International Association of Forensic Linguists, will give a lecture entitled 'The Lawyer as Insincere Actor'. In the evening, following the Official Opening of the Centre by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Coulthard will deliver his inaugural lecture, 'The Linguist as Detective and Expert Witness'.

\ Posted on 18 March 2008

Language rights in court

An interesting case involving language rights is to be heard before a South African court. Last October, Ntombenhle Nkosi, Pan South African Language Board Chief Executive Officer, complained to the Equality Court against her son's school, where his mother tongue, IsiZulu, is taught as a second additional language. Ntombenhle Nkosi claims that her son is being discriminated against because, unlike pupils with Afrikaans or English as their first language, he receives substandard education in his native Isi Zulu. Accounts of the case can be found here and here.

\ Posted on 17 March 2008

Text messages in the courtroom

Malcolm Coulthard provided expert evidence in a murder trial last week. His analysis of text messages alleged by the police to have been sent from the victim's mobile phone by the accused man was heard before Teesside Crown Court. An interesting account of the case and the role of forensic linguistics in the investigation and court proceedings can be found here.

\ Posted on 25 January 2008