NCJ Number
147593
Journal
Criminal Justice Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1994) Pages: 26-30,57- 59
Date Published
1994
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Tape-recorded evidence and linguistics experts are discussed.
Abstract
With the increasing reliance on surreptitiously tape- recorded evidence, the government has moved into the research scientist's world. The taped record is primary data, analyzable and subject to the scrutiny of linguistic specialists who have long studied such data. For the attorney, it requires a different kind of thinking, analysis, preparation, and courtroom presentation than does the testimony of witnesses. Discourse analysis can make a significant contribution to criminal proceedings, particularly in the identification of the structure of tape- recorded conversations. This article covers the use and analysis of tape-recorded evidence. Various types of conversational analyses and routines are explored including topic analysis, response analysis, functional-language analysis, and referencing analysis. Guidelines for attorneys hiring linguistics experts as expert witnesses or as consultants are provided. Various citations to other related articles are provided throughout the article.