What Are Forensic Linguists?
Linguists are experts in the study of human language, including how people use language and what they must have learned or experienced to cause them to form words and sentences in a specific manner. Forensic linguists apply this expertise to legal matters, helping to solve crimes and providing expert testimony in courtroom cases.
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Linguistics
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The field of linguistics encompasses more than the myriad foreign languages spoken around the world. It includes phonetics, or the sounds people use to form words, as well as semantics and syntax, or the words chosen to convey meaning and how they are combined with other words. In addition, linguists study how language is used by the same person in different settings, such as work memos and casual conversation, and how people process and interpret language. They also study regional dialects within a language and how languages evolve over time. Sociolinguistics addresses how race, gender, class and social boundaries affect the use of language, while computational linguistics refers to the ways in which computers perform linguistic functions.
Forensic Evidence
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When a detective or attorney consults a forensic linguist, usually there is a voice recording or writing sample needing analysis or attribution. Based on comparisons of language structure and word choices in various writing samples, a forensic linguist might help identify the author of a ransom note or contribute to the outcome of a plagiarism case. He might also listen to a recorded conversation and, based on accent and language constructs, state whether he believed the defendant was a speaker in that recording. He might also opine whether the speaker introduced a subject or whether the speaker was led to say words by others. In some cases, an expert might be asked if linguistic methodology suggested that a writer was knowingly lying. A forensic linguist also might determine a defendant's language proficiency. For example, he might gauge whether someone who speaks very little English could be expected to understand that an American policeman was reading him his legal rights.
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Training
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Required education for this profession varies greatly. However, for a forensic linguist to appear legitimate in a court of law, he would usually require a relevant master's or doctorate degree plus appropriate experience and a respectable reputation. Many programs offer linguistics degrees, but forensic linguistics is a specialty usually offered at the graduate level. An aspiring forensic linguist might achieve a bachelor's degree in criminology, criminal justice or psychology and then study linguistics for a master's or doctorate degree. Another option might be to gain linguistics-related degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level, then pursue certification in the forensic science field. Organizations offering such certification include the American Academy of Forensic Science and The American Board of Criminalistics.
Job Statistics
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The U.S. Department of Labor does not break down its statistics to specify numbers for forensic linguists, but instead groups linguists under the heading of social scientists. Basically, job opportunities are greater for those social scientists with advanced degrees. Although the number of job opportunities appears to be increasing, qualified applicants significantly outnumber positions available so competition will remain fierce. In 2008, the median annual income for social scientists was $53,910, with lowest earners making less than $32,150 and highest earners taking in more than $89,490.
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References
- Language and Law: What is Forensic Linguistics?; Peter Tiersma
- Diploma Guide: Forensic Linguist Career Info
- All About Forensic Science: Forensic Linguistics
- The Washington Times: CSI Language Analysis Unit; January 2006
- Centre for Forensic Linguistics, Aston University: Forensic Linguistics
- U.S. Department of Labor: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition: Social Scientists, Other
