An Introduction to Forensic 
        Linguistics
        ‘Seldom do introductions to any fi eld offer such a wealth of information or provide such a useful 
        array of exercise activities for students in the way that this book does. Coulthard and Johnson not 
        only provide their readers with extensive examples of the actual evidence used in the many law cases 
        described here but they also show how the linguist’s “toolkit” was used to address the litigated issues. 
        In doing this, they give valuable insights about how forensic linguists think, do their analyses and, in 
        some cases, even testify at trial.’
                     Roger W. Shuy, Distinguished Research Professor of Linguistics, Emeritus, 
                                          Georgetown University
        ‘This is a wonderful textbook for students, providing stimulating examples, lucid accounts of relevant 
        linguistic theory and excellent further reading and activities. The foreign language of law is also 
        expertly documented, explained and explored. Language as evidence is cast centre stage; coupled with 
        expert linguistic analysis, the written and spoken clues uncovered by researchers are foregrounded 
        in unfolding legal dramas. Coulthard and Johnson have produced a clear and compelling work that 
        contains its own forensic linguistic puzzle.’
                               Annabelle Mooney, Roehampton University, UK
        From the accusation of plagiarism surrounding The Da Vinci Code, to the infamous hoaxer 
        in the Yorkshire Ripper case, the use of linguistic evidence in court and the number 
        of linguists called to act as expert witnesses in court trials has increased rapidly in the 
        past fi fteen years. An Introduction to Forensic Linguistics provides a timely and accessible 
        introduction to this rapidly expanding subject.
         Using knowledge and experience gained in legal settings – Coulthard in his work as an 
        expert witness and Johnson in her work as a West Midlands police offi cer – the two authors 
        combine an array of perspectives into a distinctly unifi ed textbook, focusing throughout on 
        evidence from real and often high profi le cases including serial killer Harold Shipman, the 
        Bridgewater Four and the Birmingham Six.
         Divided into two parts, The Language of the Legal Process and Language as Evidence, the 
        book covers the key topics of the fi eld. The fi rst part looks at legal language, the structures 
        of legal genres and the collection and testing of evidence from the initial police interview 
        through to examination and cross-examination in the courtroom. The second part focuses 
        on the role of the forensic linguist, the forensic phonetician and the document examiner, as 
        well as examining in detail the linguistic investigation of authorship and plagiarism.
         With research tasks and suggestions for further reading provided at the end of each 
        chapter,  An Introduction to Forensic Linguistics is the essential textbook for courses in 
        forensic linguistics and the language of the law.
        Malcolm Coulthard is Professor of Forensic Linguistics at Aston University, UK and 
        Alison Johnson is Lecturer in English Language at the University of Leeds, UK.
    An Introduction to Forensic 
    Linguistics
    Language in Evidence
    Malcolm Coulthard and Alison Johnson