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Forensic Linguistics

An Introduction To Language, Crime and the Law

  • Textbook
Forensic Linguistics cover

Forensic Linguistics

An Introduction To Language, Crime and the Law

  • Textbook
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Pre-order. Available 10 Dec 2026
£90.00 RRP £100.00 Website price saving £10.00 (10%)

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Description

Now in its fourth edition, this practical introduction to forensic linguistics combines critical theoretical discussion with workplace application. This updated version reflects digital developments in areas such a forensic phonetics, artificial intelligence, and cybercrime, and includes more recent case studies and texts. Student exercises also reflect topics of current, global interest.

This new edition is fully updated and revised throughout and includes:
- a new chapter on author profiling
- a new chapter on forensic phonetics written by Ricky Chan (Hong Kong University)
- the expertise of two new co-authors
- case studies, transcripts to analyse, communication aids to design, and a glossary
- appendices of forensic texts for student study, plus additional exercises and commentaries, and suggestions for further reading
- an updated companion website with a repository of statements, notes and examples referred to throughout the text.

Parts One and Two introduce, illustrate and critically evaluate methods while Part Three applies this introduction to workplace settings. The new revising authors offer an important blend of knowledge and research experience from law and linguistics in the UK and the USA ensuring that this well-established textbook remains relevant for the next generation of students.

Table of Contents

List of figures
List of tables
Foreword
Acknowledgements

PART ONE:
Language as forensic evidence
1. Introduction to Forensic Linguistics
2. The author constructed
3. Time, variation and genre
4. Range of variation
5. Textual variation
6. Forensic phonetics: An introduction by Harry Hollien
7. Cybercrime


PART TWO: Dealing with linguistic evidence
8. Forensic texts
9. Forensic transcription
10. Forensic authorship in practice
11. Investigating author variation in naturalistic data
12. Forensic linguistic evidence in court
The texts in the case
The features in the texts
Excerpts from prosecution reports
Conclusion

PART THREE: The legal process: Language and the law
13. Power in legal contexts: The courts
14. Power in legal contexts: The police
15. Vulnerable witnesses


PART FOUR: Language of the law
16. The law and us
17. The language of statutes

Appendix 1. Forensic texts
Appendix 2. Exercises and exercise commentaries
Appendix 3. Active researchers in the field of forensic linguistics

Bibliography
Author Index
Subject Index

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 10 Dec 2026
Format Hardback
Edition 4th
Pages 336
ISBN 9781350471412
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations 27 b&w images
Dimensions 234 x 156 mm
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Michelle Aldridge-Waddon

Michelle Aldridge-Waddon is a Reader in the School…

Author

June Luchjenbroers

June Luchjenbroers is Senior Lecturer in Linguisti…

Author

John Olsson

John Olsson operated a world-renowned forensic lin…

Author

Paul Pope

Paul Pope is Associate Professor at Montana State…

ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS

Bloomsbury Online Resources

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