introduction to forensic linguistics...introduction to forensic linguistics ed finegan & keith...
TRANSCRIPT
IntroductiontoForensicLinguistics
EdFinegan&KeithWaltersLSASummerInstituteUniversityofKentucky
July2017
CourseDescription
By examining actual litigated cases involving interpretation (notably defamation), trademark (infringement
and genericide), and authorship, this course will help prepare you to do several things essential to being a
reputable forensic linguist:
• deal with attorneys seeking your assistance on behalf of a client
• assess your potential role as an expert
• write competent reports and declarations
• conduct yourself honorably under the gun at deposition and trial.
This is a hands-on class, critically assessing cases involving prominent Hollywood figures, famous brand
names, and highly contested authorship attribution disputes. We focus on testimony by linguistic experts
on one or both sides of a litigation. Testimony will be critically assessed by teams of students, who will
enact mock interviews with attorneys, mock expert reports, and mock depositions. This course aims to
come as close as feasible to a real-life forensic linguistics experience.
In what ways can an expert linguist serve
the interests of the legal system and of litigants?
“Thelawnolongerreturnsfugitiveslaves,treatswomenasthepropertyoftheirhusbands,orexcludesAfricanAmericancitizensfromjuries.
If[now]thelawisfailingtoliveuptoitsideals,thefailuremustlieinthedetailsofeverydaylegalpractice—detailsthatconsistalmostentirelyoflanguage.”(ConleyandO’Barr)
AreLegalIdealsUndercutin OurDiscourse?
IntheBeginningIn1968,JanSvartvik “demonstratedthatdisputedandincriminatingpartsofaseriesoffourstatements…madetopoliceofficersbyTimothyEvansaboutthedeathsofhiswifeandbabydaughter,hadagrammaticalstylemeasurablydifferentfromthatofuncontestedpartsofthestatementsandthusanewareaofforensicexpertisewasborn.”
Coulthard andJohnson,2007:5
LinguisticsThestudyofthestructureanduseoflanguage,includingsoundsandsoundsystems,wordsandwordsystems,syntax,semantics,pragmatics,discourse,languagevariation...
ForensicLinguisticsTheuseofscientific(orsystematic)methodsandtechnologytoinvestigateandestablishfactsincourtsoflaworinmattersrelatingtolaw.(Issuesofvalidityandreliability.)
Sometasksaskedoflinguists
• Contractinterpretation—whatistheinternalandcontextualevidenceforoneinterpretationoveranother?
• Wordinterpretation—whatisthemeaningofawordinaparticularcontext—forexample,whenitsmeaninghasbeenevolvingaswith“sex”and“gender”?
• Readabilityassessments—givenitslinguisticcharacter,couldanordinaryreaderhaveunderstoodaninsurancepolicy,mortgageagreement,liabilitywaiver?
• Advertisingclaims—intheirbroadcontexthowwouldanordinaryreaderlikelyinterpretwordsinadvertisements—andhowmightpictorialrepresentationsaffectaninterpretation?
• Voiceidentification—isthatvoicethesameashersorhis—ornot—orcan’tadefinitedeterminationbemade?
• Trademarklegitimacy—descriptive,generic?
• Trademarkinfringement—doesonemark(SoSexy!)infringeanother(SexyHair)becauselikelihoodofconfusion?
• Authorshipattribution—whowrotethat?
• Speechactidentification—whatdoparticularwords(text)say,and—incontext—whatdotheydo?
Werethespeakersconspiring?Didsheconfess?Doesthatconstituteanapology,anaccusation,athreat,a
retraction?
Advice to Experts
• Remember:attorneystellyouonlywhattheywantyoutoknowand—perhaps—whatyouinquireafter.
• Whatattorneystellyouinevitablyframesyourperceptionofthecase—sotakepositivestepstoimaginetheothersideofthestory,whattheopposingexpertmayhavebeentold,howshe’dviewit,etc.
• Neverjudgealitigatedcasebasedonthelimitedknowledgeprovidedtheexpertbytheretainingattorney.
Advice to Experts
• Recognizeandacknowledgethenarrowlimitsofyourexpertiseinthepatchworkoflegalissuesatcontest.
• Ensurethatyouunderstandexactlywhatquestionsyouarebeingaskedtoaddress.
• Ensurethattheretainingattorneyunderstandswhatinformationyouneedtoknowandwhatdocumentationyouneedtohaveinordertoopineonamatter.
Advice to Experts
• Keepcarefulrecordsofdocumentsconsultedandhowyourtimeisspent.
• Considerkeepingarecord(perhapspdfs)of“soft”searches.
• Askquestionswhenneededbutbemindfulthatinsomejurisdictionsconversationsmaynotbeprivileged.
Advice to Lawyers
Understandinapracticalwaythat,whileyourjobistowinforyourclient,thelinguisticsexpertwilllikelyseethingsinamorenuancedway.Becausetheydealwithlanguageandbecausethenatureoflanguageisnotrigidandnotfullyunderstood,mostlinguisticopinionswillnecessarilybe“softer”than,say,DNAevidence.
Advice to Lawyers
Beexplicitaboutthequestionsyouareaskingtheexperttoaddressorworkwiththeexperttodefinethequestions.Besuretoexplainthelegalissuesclearlysoastofocusthelinguist’sattentiononthecriticalpoints.
Advice to Lawyers & Experts
Inhisconclusions,Beatz’s expertaddressesissuesofprice,impulsebuying,andcostdisparitybetweenproductsmarketedbyBeatsElectronicsandMerkuryInnovations.CounselhasgivenmetounderstandthatthesearenotrelevanttotheissueherebeforetheTrademarkTrialandAppealBoard,andIdonotaddresstheminthisrebuttal.
Communication between lawyers & experts
• Initial contact & presentation of case• Inquiry as to possible conflict of interest?• Document exchange & agreement• Expert offers preliminary assessment• Retainer agreement (whose?)• Report or declaration drafted• Discussion & refinement (sensitive)• Final report or declaration• Deposition (often)• Trial (seldom)
PremisesforaForensicLinguist• FLrequiresattentiontocontext(co-text,worldknowledge,multi-modalrepresentation).• Advocatestelllinguistsonlyselectedfactsaboutacase.• Expertopinionsaddressonlynarrowquestions--notbasicquestionsofdisputeresolution(orjustice!),whicharetheprerogativeofthefinderoffact.• Expertsserveasconsultants,notadvocates.• Courts,juries,litigantsdecideoutcomes—notlinguistic(orother)experts.
PremisesforaForensicLinguist• Justoutcomesdon’tfallwithinanexpert’spurview.• Bothdraftingandrebuttinganexpertreportcanadvancemethodsofanalysis,thestatusofthefield,and—mostimportantly—justice byhelpingtriersoffactunderstandhowlanguageworksgenerallyandinparticularcases.• Rebuttalopinionshelpminimizeeffectsofframingbyadvocatesandshouldnotbecraftedaspersonalattacksonopposingexperts.(Remember:theirframelikelydiffersfromyours.)• Wiseandhelpfulstrategy:imaginealinguistretainedtorebutyouranalysis:anticipatethecritique.
NewYorker,July23,2012
RogerShuy believesthatforensiclinguisticscandoforlanguagecrimes,suchasbribery,blackmail,andextortion,whatDNAhasdoneforviolentcrimes:itcouldofferacounterweighttothemanyold-schoolmethods,likelineupsandunrecordedpoliceinterrogationsthatareheavilyreliedupondespitetheirseriousflaws.
“Iwon’tclaimthatwehaveanythingremotelylikeDNAinthiswork,”Shuy said,“butweareawholelotbetterthanalotofthecrazyschemesthatcopsarebeingtaught.”
Neverletyoursenseofmoralsgetinthewayofdoingwhat'sright.
IsaacAsimov