Coulthard Malcolm

This Element provides an overview of the origins and development of forensic linguistics in the UK. It starts with a brief overview of early forensic linguistic research in the UK context, how some of the earliest work came about and the circumstances that allowed the field to develop and grow. Following this, the Element details the UK-based developments in the forensic analysis of texts, most notably through forensic authorship analysis and profiling. Section 3 outlines the research on spoken linguistic practices in legal contexts, using the order in which one might encounter these parts of the legal system (the emergency services, the police, the courts) as a structure. Section 4 looks at recent developments in the linguistic analysis of criminal and abusive behaviours in online contexts. Finally, the Element summarises the current state of forensic linguistics in the UK, pointing to key debates and potential future directions.

This Element provides an overview of the origins and development of forensic linguistics in the UK. It starts with a brief overview of early forensic linguistic research in the UK context, how some of the earliest work came about and the circumstances that allowed the field to develop and grow. Following this, the Element details the UK-based developments in the forensic analysis of texts, most notably through forensic authorship analysis and profiling. Section 3 outlines the research on spoken linguistic practices in legal contexts, using the order in which one might encounter these parts of the legal system (the emergency services, the police, the courts) as a structure. Section 4 looks at recent developments in the linguistic analysis of criminal and abusive behaviours in online contexts. Finally, the Element summarises the current state of forensic linguistics in the UK, pointing to key debates and potential future directions.

This collection brings together for the first time in a single volume many of the major figures in contemporary discourse studies. Each chapter is an original contribution which has been specifically commissioned for this book, and together they document the wide range of concerns and techniques which characterise the discipline at the turn of the century. Discourse and Social Life is concerned with a variety of different types of data - talk, text and interaction - and covers research sites which range from the home setting through the health care setting and the courtroom to the public sphere. The book not only provides a critical, historical overview of different traditions of discourse analysis, but also projects to some extent the possible developments of this field of study, as other allied disciplines (Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Rhetoric and Communication Studies) are taking a discursive turn. Readers are invited to draw parallels between these different approaches to studying discourse in its social context. The contributors are- Sally Candlin, Malcolm Coulthard, Justine Coupland, Nikolas Coupland, Norman Fairclough, Ruqaiya Hasan, Robert Kaplan, Geoff Leech, Yon Maley, Greg Myers, Celia Roberts, Srikant Sarangi, Ron Scollon, Theo van Leeuwen, Henry Widdowson and Ruth Wodak.