AJ22087 Forensic Linguistics: English language and law

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2013
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 3 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
prof. Mgr. Jan Chovanec, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each even Tuesday 15:50–17:25 G21
Prerequisites
The course is only for students in the second cycle (MA studies).
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course provides an overview of linguistic approaches to the study of law and language. It combines a theoretical discussion of selected issues with practical analysis of texts. Written texts will be analysed for their stylistic features, spoken texts will point out the interaction between discourse participants. The course will report on the findings of the newly developing discipline of forensic linguistics. At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the role of the emerging discipline of forensic linguistics as well as understand the specificities of various genres of legal English.
Syllabus
  • 1. Legal genres, the nature of legal language 2. Language of English written legal documents 3. Analysis of selected legal documents (legislative texts, contracts) 4. Methodology of linguistic analysis of language in legal contexts - discourse analysis, conversation analysis, pragmatics 5. Dynamism of courtroom interaction as a type of institutional discourse 6. Analysis of interaction on the basis of court transcripts - strategies of asking questions 7. Analysis of interaction on the basis of court transcripts - evasive and vague answers 8. Current issues in forensic linguistics: phonetics and phonology as linguistic evidence in the courtroom 9. Current issues of forensic linguistics: problems of authoriship of written and spoken texts 10. Current issues in forensic linguistics: communication with members of disadvantaged groups in legal contexts 11. Curretn issues in forensic linguistics: police questioning and manipulation of the language of witnesses 12. The role of the Plain English Movement in changing English legal language 7. A
Literature
  • GIBBONS, John. Forensic linguistics : an introduction to language in the justice system. 1st pub. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2003, viii, 337. ISBN 9780631212478. info
  • COULTHARD, Malcolm and Alison JOHNSON. An introduction to forensic linguistics : language in evidence. First published. London: Routledge, 2007, x, 237. ISBN 9780415320238. info
  • OLSSON, John. Forensic linguistics : second edition. London: Continuum, 2008, viii, 256. ISBN 9780826493088. info
  • Olsson, John (2004) Forensic Linguistics: An Introduction to Language, Crime and the Law. Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd., 288 pages, ISBN-10: 0826461093, ISBN-13: 978-0826461094
  • Kniffka, Hannes (2007) Working in Language and Law: A German Perspective. Palgrave Macmillan, 304 pages, ISBN-10: 0230551424,
  • Solan, Lawrence M. (1993) The Language of Judges. University of Chicago Press, 225 pages, ISBN-10: 0226767906, ISBN-13: 978-0226767901
  • McMenamin, G.R. and J. V.P. Conway (1993) Forensic Stylistics. Elsevier, 249 pages, ISBN-10: 0444815449, ISBN-13: 978-0444815446.
  • Náhradní obsah: Schane, Sanford (2006) Language and the Law. Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd, Hardback: ISBN: 0826488285 Pages: 224 Paperback: ISBN: 0826488293 Pages: 224
  • Kimble, Joseph (2005) Lifting the Fog of Legalese: Essays on Plain Language. Carolina Academic Pr., 199 pages, ISBN-10: 1594602123, ISBN-13: 978-1594602122
  • Shuy, Roger W. (2006) Linguistics in the Courtroom: A Practical Guide. Oxford University Press Inc, USA, 160 pages, ISBN-10: 0195306643, ISBN-13: 978-0195306644
  • Heffer, Chris (2005) The Language of Jury Trial: A Corpus-Aided Analysis of Legal-Lay Discourse. Palgrave Macmillan, 272 pages, ISBN-10: 1403942471, ISBN-13: 978-1403942470,
  • Tiersma, Peter M. (1999) Legal Language.University of Chicago Press, 328 pages, ISBN-10: 0226803023, ISBN-13: 978-0226803029
  • Solan, Lawrence M. (2005) Speaking of Crime: The Language of Criminal Justice. University of Chicago Press, 264 pages, ISBN-10: 0226767922, ISBN-13: 978-0226767925
  • SHUY, Roger W. Creating language crimes : how law enforcement uses (and misuses) language. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, xiv, 194. ISBN 0195181662. info
  • HEYDON, Georgina. The language of police interviewing : a critical analysis. 1st pub. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005, xii, 229. ISBN 1403917264. info
  • COTTERILL, Janet. Language and power in court : a linguistic analysis of the O.J. Simpson trial. 1st pub. Hampshire: Palgrave, 2003, viii, 245. ISBN 0333969014. info
  • Forensic linguistics : advances in forensic stylistics. Edited by Gerald R. McMenamin - Dongdoo Choi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2002, xxii, 333. ISBN 0849309662. info
  • Forensic linguistics : advances in forensic stylistics. Edited by Gerald R. McMenamin - Dongdoo Choi. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2002, xxii, 333. ISBN 0849309662. info
  • EHRLICH, Susan Lynn. Representing rape : language and sexual consent. 1st pub. London: Routledge, 2001, 174 s. ISBN 0415205220. info
  • SHUY, Roger W. The language of confession, interrogation and deception. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 1998, viii, 205. ISBN 0761913459. info
  • SHUY, Roger W. Language crimes : the use and abuse of language evidence in the courtroom. 1st pub. Malden: Blackwell Publishers, 1996, xxii, 208. ISBN 063120153X. info
  • Language and the law. Edited by John Gibbons. First published. London: Longman, 1994, xiv, 476. ISBN 0582229766. info
  • CONLEY, John M. and William M. O'BARR. Rules versus relationships : the ethnography of legal discourse. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990, xiv, 222. ISBN 0226114910. info
  • SVARTVIK, Jan. The evans statements : a case for forensic linguistics. Stockholm: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis, 1968, 46 s. info
  • MELLINKOFF, David. The language of the law. Eugene, Or.: Resource Publications, 1963, xiv, 526. ISBN 1592446906. info
Teaching methods
Seminar. Class discussions. Homework assignments. Prior reading for classes is necessary. Practical analysis of sample texts and language data.
Assessment methods
Seminars. The course consists partly of lectures on selected topics, detailed class discussion of issues studied at home, practical analysis of legal texts, and classroom presentations by students. Exam: in the form of a written essay on a topic of one's choice (subject to the the teacher's approval). The essay should be analytic, i.e. applying a selected method of linguistic analysis to legal texts (spoken/written) of one's choice. Evaluation: the meeting of all criteria for the course: active participation in seminars, classroom presentation, academic essay. The weight of all elements for the final mark will be announced during the course. Students are expected to meet all requirements (e.g. concerning attendance) specified by the study regulations.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Předmět si nemohou zapsat studenti Bc. studia AJ
Teacher's information
http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2009, Spring 2012, Spring 2014, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Autumn 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2013, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2013/AJ22087