Forensic Linguistics: An Introduction to Language in the Justice System

Forensic Linguistics is an introduction to the fascinating interface between language and the law. Examining the nature of legal language, the first half of the book demonstrates that the law is an overwhelmingly linguistic institution, since laws are coded in language and the concepts that are used to construct the law are accessible only through language. The book also explores the language of contracts and the language of legal processes, such as court cases, police investigations and the management of prisoners.The second half of Forensic Linguistics is more socially applied. It discusses the difficulty of understanding legal language, and linguistic sources of disadvantage before the law, particularly for ethnic minorities, children and abused women. The volume then considers legislation on language, including language crimes, as well as linguistic evidence.