Text messaging forensics : Txt 4n6: idiolect free authorship analysis?

Tim D. Grant

doi:10.4324/9780203855607.ch33

Text messaging forensics : Txt 4n6: idiolect free authorship analysis?

Tim D. Grant

Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics

Research output: Chapter in Book/Published conference output › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

32 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Current debate within forensic authorship analysis has tended to polarise those who argue that analysis methods should reflect a strong cognitive theory of idiolect and others who see less of a need to look behind the stylistic variation of the texts they are examining. This chapter examines theories of idiolect and asks how useful or necessary they are to the practice of forensic authorship analysis. Taking a specific text messaging case the chapter demonstrates that methodologically rigorous, theoretically informed authorship analysis need not appeal to cognitive theories of idiolect in order to be valid. By considering text messaging forensics, lessons will be drawn which can contribute to wider debates on the role of theories of idiolect in forensic casework.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Routledge handbook of forensic linguistics
Editors	Malcom Coulthard, Alison Johnson
Pages	508-522
Number of pages	24
ISBN (Electronic)	978-0-203-85560-7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203855607.ch33
Publication status	Published - 3 Mar 2010

Publication series

Name	Routledge Handbooks in Applied Linguistics
Publisher	Routledge

Access to Document

10.4324/9780203855607.ch33

Cite this

@inbook{b7482ce02c354e6ebbbcf765e6fea9fc,

title = "Text messaging forensics : Txt 4n6: idiolect free authorship analysis?",

abstract = "Current debate within forensic authorship analysis has tended to polarise those who argue that analysis methods should reflect a strong cognitive theory of idiolect and others who see less of a need to look behind the stylistic variation of the texts they are examining. This chapter examines theories of idiolect and asks how useful or necessary they are to the practice of forensic authorship analysis. Taking a specific text messaging case the chapter demonstrates that methodologically rigorous, theoretically informed authorship analysis need not appeal to cognitive theories of idiolect in order to be valid. By considering text messaging forensics, lessons will be drawn which can contribute to wider debates on the role of theories of idiolect in forensic casework.",

author = "Grant, \{Tim D.\}",

year = "2010",

month = mar,

day = "3",

doi = "10.4324/9780203855607.ch33",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-0-415-46309-6",

series = "Routledge Handbooks in Applied Linguistics",

publisher = "Routledge",

pages = "508--522",