Corpus Approaches to Discourse in Forensic and Legal Contexts

Contents

List of Figures

Acknowledgment

1 Introduction

Forensic, legal and corpus linguistics

Aims of this book

Overview of the book

References

2 Tools for the trade: data and methods

Corpora for forensic and legal linguistics

The corpora used in this book

Data scarcity in forensic and legal linguistics

Overcoming data scarcity

Quasi-legal data: The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Opening Statement Corpus

Opportunistic legal data: The Brexit Hearings Corpus

Potentially illicit data on the 'clear' web: The Seduction Forum Corpus

Language about the law: New Laws in the News Corpus

Ethics and distressing data

Corpus-assisted discourse studies

Corpus linguistic tools

Keyword analysis

Collocation analysis

Concordance analysis

References

3 Thirty years of corpora in forensic and legal linguistics

Corpora at the birth of forensic linguistics

The growing status of corpora in forensic and legal linguistics

Corpora and the development of forensic linguistics

New perspectives on familiar genres

Possible solutions to methodological challenges

New avenues for research

References

4 Positioning and responsibility in the Opening Statements of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Introduction

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Opening Statement Corpus

Opening statements as a prologue to the evidence

The language of opening statements

Positioning and opening statements

A new model for responsibility allocation

Impression management

Pre-emptive allocation

Delineating involvement and responsibility assignment

Positive action

Conclusion

References

5 Stance-taking by advocates and judges in the Brexit Hearings

Introduction

Background to the 'Brexit case'

The Brexit Hearings Corpus

Stance and stance-taking

Stance and corpus linguistics

Stance in the courtroom

I collocates and stance-markers

Modal verbs - I will

Mental verbs - I think

Speaking verbs - I say

Conclusion

References

6 Online discourses of sexual consent and resistance

Content warning

Discourse, consent and 'utmost resistance'

The Pick-Up Artist Community

The language of PUAs

The Seduction Forum Corpus (SFC)

Consent and resistance in the SFC

Discourse prosodies of LMR

Resistance as something to be overcome

Resistance as insincere

Resistance as remarkable

Resistance as temporary

Conclusion

References

7 The reporting of new laws in the British national press

Introduction

Legislation and media influence

The New Laws in the News Corpus

Using corpus techniques to analyse argumentation

Identifying arguments

Reconstructing arguments

Analysis

Prohibition

Permission

Imposition

Toughness

Necessity

Protection

Controversy

Scope

Summary of argument schemes

Conclusion

References

8 Conclusion

References

Index