Language and the Law

<p>Explains and describes the ways that language use in the legal system can create inequality and disadvantage. It examines the three main areas where the two intersect: the central issue of the language of the law; the disadvantage which language can impose before the law, and forensic linguistics - the use of linguistic evidence in legal processes. <br><br>Each section of the book is preceded by an introduction by the editor which sets the paper within a conceptual framework. Lawyer's opinions are not neglected even though the collection is written mainly by linguists. The section concludes with a lawyer's response, in which a prominent lawyer with a particular interest in the content of the section responds to the papers.</p> <p><b>Part 1: Language constructing law</b><br>Introduction, <i>John Gibbons</i><br>1. The language of the law, <i>Yon Maley</i><br>2. Accident and absolute liability in anthropology, <i>Laurence Goldman</i><br>3. Orality, literacy, and performativity in Anglo-Saxon wills, <i>Brenda Danet and Bryna Bogoch</i><br>4. Cognitive structuring in legislative provisions, <i>Vijay Bhatia</i><br>5. Ideological exchanges in British magistrate courts, <i>Snadra Harris</i><br>6. Video depositions: linguistic endorsement and caveats, <i>Bethyl A. Pearson and Rebecca White Berch</i><br>7. Lawyer's response to language constructing law, <i>Margaret O'Toole</i><br><br><b>Part 2: Language and disadvantage before the law</b><br>Introduction, <i>John Gibbons</i><br>8. Cross-examining children in criminal courts: child welfare under attack, <i>Mark Brennan</i><br>9. Interactional styles in the courtroom: an example from northern Australia, <i>Michael Walsh</i><br>10. A case of communicative clash: Aboriginal English and the legal system, <i>Diana Eades</i><br>11. Addressing social issues through linguistic evidence, <i>William Labov and Wendell A. Harris</i><br>12. Lawyer's response to language and disadvantage before the law, <i>John Carroll</i><br><br><b>Part 3: Forensic linguistics</b><br>Introduction, <i>John Gibbons</i><br>13. Auditory and acoustic analysis in speaker recognition, <i>Francis Nolan</i><br>14. The limitations of voice identification, <i>Alex Jones</i><br>15. Forensic analysis of personal written texts: a case study, <i>Robert Eagleson</i><br>16. Computers, statistics and disputed authorship, <i>Wilfred Smith</i><br>17. <b>Power</b>ful evidence for the defence: an exercise in forensic discourse analysis, <i>Malcolm Coulthard</i><br>18. Confidentiality of linguistic material: the case of Aboriginal land claims, <i>Jane Simpson</i><br>19. Lawyer's response to forensic linguistics, <i>Dyson Heydon</i><br><br>Bibliography <br>Index</p>