NCJ Number
139770
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 37 Issue: 6 Dated: (November 1992) Pages: 1621-1632
Date Published
1992
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Documents written by deaf Americans were examined to determine whether or not linguistic evidence indicative of authorship from within this group of people was present.
Abstract
The native language of deaf people is not English, but rather American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is a visual- gestural language with its own principles of syntax. Documents authored by deaf people were obtained from the Arkansas School for the Deaf (5 samples) and the Arkansas Office for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired (24 samples). Each document was examined, with attention to vocabulary, syntax, and word usage. The research revealed that the use of ASL syntax and idioms as well as the problems associated with the use of English as a second language were indicative of authorship by a member of the deaf community. Such written- language characteristics are class evidence and cannot be used to identify individuals. Findings can be used as an investigative tool to either develop a suspect or limit the number of initial suspects in the case. These research results will assist document examiners should they need to determine whether or not a written document was authored by a deaf person. 9 figures and 5 references