1st Edition
Corpus Approaches to Discourse in Forensic and Legal Contexts
This book is the first of its kind to bridge the gap between corpus linguistics and forensic linguistics, illustrating the value of applying corpus linguistic data, tools, and methods in the analysis of language in the law, evidence, crime, and justice.
The volume begins by taking stock of the use of corpus linguistics in the field of forensic and legal linguistics over its roughly thirty-year history as a foundation for critically reflecting on the current state-of play within the discipline. Wright uses this discussion as a jumping-off point from which to demonstrate the opportunities and challenges of using corpora and corpus methods to analyse language in legal and forensic contexts and offers possible solutions to collecting and analysing types of data that are typically not in the public domain. The five analysis chapters that follow apply corpus method to both established and emerging areas of forensic and legal linguistics, summarized in a concluding chapter which also looks ahead to future directions for the interface of the two fields.
This book will be key reading for graduate students and researchers in forensic linguistics and corpus linguistics methods as well as scholars working across disciplines interested in the intersection between language and the law.
Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgment
1 Introduction
Forensic, legal and corpus linguistics
Aims of this book
Overview of the book
References
2 Tools for the trade: data and methods
Corpora for forensic and legal linguistics
The corpora used in this book
Data scarcity in forensic and legal linguistics
Overcoming data scarcity
Quasi-legal data: The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Opening Statement Corpus
Opportunistic legal data: The Brexit Hearings Corpus
Potentially illicit data on the ‘clear’ web: The Seduction Forum Corpus
Language about the law: New Laws in the News Corpus
Ethics and distressing data
Corpus-assisted discourse studies
Corpus linguistic tools
Keyword analysis
Collocation analysis
Concordance analysis
References
3 Thirty years of corpora in forensic and legal linguistics
Corpora at the birth of forensic linguistics
The growing status of corpora in forensic and legal linguistics
Corpora and the development of forensic linguistics
New perspectives on familiar genres
Possible solutions to methodological challenges
New avenues for research
References
4 Positioning and responsibility in the Opening Statements of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry
Introduction
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Opening Statement Corpus
Opening statements as a prologue to the evidence
The language of opening statements
Positioning and opening statements
A new model for responsibility allocation
Impression management
Pre-emptive allocation
Delineating involvement and responsibility assignment
Positive action
Conclusion
References
5 Stance-taking by advocates and judges in the Brexit Hearings
Introduction
Background to the ‘Brexit case’
The Brexit Hearings Corpus
Stance and stance-taking
Stance and corpus linguistics
Stance in the courtroom
I collocates and stance-markers
Modal verbs - I will
Mental verbs - I think
Speaking verbs - I say
Conclusion
References
6 Online discourses of sexual consent and resistance
Content warning
Discourse, consent and ‘utmost resistance’
The Pick-Up Artist Community
The language of PUAs
The Seduction Forum Corpus (SFC)
Consent and resistance in the SFC
Discourse prosodies of LMR
Resistance as something to be overcome
Resistance as insincere
Resistance as remarkable
Resistance as temporary
Conclusion
References
7 The reporting of new laws in the British national press
Introduction
Legislation and media influence
The New Laws in the News Corpus
Using corpus techniques to analyse argumentation
Identifying arguments
Reconstructing arguments
Analysis
Prohibition
Permission
Imposition
Toughness
Necessity
Protection
Controversy
Scope
Summary of argument schemes
Conclusion
References
8 Conclusion
References
Index
Biography
David Wright is an Associate Professor in Linguistics at Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom.
