Week 11 - Computational Linguistics and Forensic Linguistics

Assalamualaikum.

It evolved in the 1960s and is a sub- discipline of Computational Linguistics. It is about the study of the patterns formed in particular texts, authors, genres, periods etc. using the computer, which can help the detection and explanation of the patterns to be more accurate. However, there are risks behind this study; an author might change his style of writing from text to text according to the genres etc., and also the possibility of two authors with the same style of writing. There are several other scopes which can be done by Computational Stylistic. Some of them are;

• To count the frequency of common words and rare words,
• To detection of idiosyncratic uses of language which distinguish one author from another,
• To determine the sentiment of a text (positive or negative),
• To analyze the variation in rhetorical style among scientific articles.

In addition, when it is applied in Language Learning or Language Research, it can also be used to;

• Determine the style of the literary works; grammar, semantics, lexis, phonological properties etc.
• Identify the linguistics features; arbitrariness, ‘open- endedness’, the cultural transmission. 

 Following is one of the examples of the study being done using Computational Stylistics.

Sean Murphy, Lancaster University (2007) –

“Now I am alone: A corpus stylistic approach to Shakespearian soliloquies”

This study is to show what a corpus stylistic analysis can reveal about the linguistic nature of soliloquies as opposed to dialogue in Shakespeare’s plays, and to what extent this methodological approach can highlight distinctions between comedies, histories and tragedies, and early plays as opposed to mid-career works.

Murphy uses software called WordHoard for the texts (Shakespeare’s plays) which is easy to copy into Microsoft Word document and separate soliloquies and asides from interactional language based on a careful reading of 12 plays and comparison with The Norton Shakespeare text. 

Topic:

Now I am alone: A corpus stylistic approach to Shakespearian soliloquies” by Sean Murphy, Lancaster University 

Purpose:

 Aims to show what a corpus stylistic analysis can reveal about the linguistic nature of soliloquies as opposed to dialogue in Shakespeare's plays, and to what extent this methodological approach can highlight distinctions between comedies, histories and tragedies, and early plays as opposed to mid-career works. 

Methodology:

The researcher chose 12 Shakespeare’s plays and created a soliloquies/aside document and interactional language document for each play and calculated the percentage of self talk. The documents then uploaded to Wmatrix to detect regularize words. Next, using a Multilingual Corpus Toolkit to uncover further layers of meaning. Lastly, using WordSmith Tools to carry out concordances on selected findings to determine frequent collocations. 

Tool:

Corpora of soliloquies and aside, Shakespeare's plays, WordHoard, Multilingual Corpus Toolkit, Wmatrix  and WordSmith Tools 

Findings:  

 1. Differences between self-talk and interactional language - the overuse of interjections like O, and the expression of doubt with and yet. 

2. Soliloquies - they give implicit stage directions, reveal future intentions, and they generalize.

3. In terms of topics, soliloquies appear to talk at great length about anatomy and physiology, thoughts, colors, love and deception.

Reflection

            Computational Stylistics helps in analyzing and recognizing the idiosyncrasies of authors in their writings. During the lesson, we have realized that it is a fact that everyone does have their own special features in their writings and that has made us aware of our own writing also. It has helped the student to be more conscious of their own writing as well as making them better.

Allah SWT has explained on the differences between human kinds. Allah SWT has created man different from one another so that each of us has our own uniqueness and specialty. He made us from different gender, different nations and tribes so that we can get to know one another and learn from one another. In addition, Allah SWT want each one of us to reflect on our differences and did not treated unequally. InsyaAllah.

Assalamualaikum.

Forensic Linguistics is a branch under Applied Linguistics and it applies the Linguistics knowledge and methods into the forensic context of law, investigation, trial and also punishment. There are about three main areas where linguistics can be applied in forensic contexts;

• In understanding the language of written law,
• In understanding the language use in forensic and legal processes,
• In the condition of linguistics evidence.

As stated by Dr. Carole E. Chaski, an expert in Forensic Linguistics, it applies the theories and builds analytical methods of linguistics in order to question the civil, criminal and security investigations. Apart from that, he also claimed that Forensic Linguistics is also involved in the areas which are related to crime, both solving and assisting the wrongly accused people. Some of the methods are;

• Author identification – also called as forensic stylistics; examining the writing of a particular text by comparing it with the writing samples of a suspect.
• Voice identification - also called as forensic phonetics; to determine whether the voice on a threatening tape was really of the defendant.
• Discourse analysis – analysing the structure of a writing or a spoken discourse, to help determine the issue.

Some of the corpora available in this area are;

• Ransom notes,            
• Threatening letters,                
• Anonymous letters,               
• Plagiarism,
• Examination Fraud,
• Missing Person,
• Suicide notes.

Forensic Linguistics can also be applied in Language research. Some of the applications are;

• Author/speaker identification,
• Intertextuality,
• Text typing,
• Linguistic profiling.

Following is one of the examples of a kidnapping case whereby Forensic Linguistics has been applied to.

Case study 1 : Lindbergh kidnapping case.

A case of 20 month-old son of an aviator namely Charles Augustus Lindberg, Jr. was kidnapped.

The case took place in 1932 at his home and his family received a ransom note demanding 50 000 dollars as an exchange.

"We warn you for making anyding public or for notify the Polise the child is in gut care.”

• From a Forensic Linguist point of view, the ransom note stated that the child is in good hands is a false threat.
• It is because; from the Forensic Linguists point of view the kidnapper has not even encountered the child by the time he wrote the note.
• After the ransom is paid, 2 months later, Augustus is found dead near his home with a hole at his skull and some body parts were missing.

Reflection

            Aside from the fun that we have learnt during this lesson, we have realized that Forensic Linguistics is a really helpful branch of knowledge which can assist the authority in the criminal investigations. The knowledge of linguistics which we have gained can actually can provide and contribute something to the society apart from the researches and analysis of grammar as known by many people. This might actually help other people to understand more about language studies and to appreciate it more. 

Allah SWT has already mentioned in the Qur'an in Surah Al-Isra' verse 36 about the importance of knowledge. He has command all of us to not blindly follow something without having a knowledge about it. This can be applied to Forensic Linguistics as it is a branch of knowledge in which it assists the authority in finding proofs in the criminal investigations.