Linguistics in the Law
Did you know there is such a thing as forensic linguistics? Dartmouth alum Tim Grinsell '05 describes how he uses his training in linguistics at Dartmouth in his law practice.
Linguistics in the Law
This talk describes two ways in which linguistics is used in law and legal practice (there are more than two!). First, judges and lawyers grapple with ambiguity in statutes and contracts, where a single comma or the scope of an adverb can determine the difference between freedom and imprisonment. Drawing on principles from syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, we will review individual cases and explore how these principles illuminate debates over ordinary meaning and legislative intent. Second, we examine how language may serve as evidence in cases ranging from crimes to trademark disputes, and we explore how linguists serve as expert witnesses to assist fact-finders in evaluating this evidence.
Speaker biography: Tim Grinsell graduated from Dartmouth in 2005 and went on to get both a JD and a Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of Chicago. He now practices law in New York City, but stays active in semantics and forensic linguistics.
Sponsored by the Department of Linguistics, Dartmouth College.
