Forensic linguistics, the subject of a recent New Yorker piece by Jack Hitt (in full here, is a useful tool in the courtroom. Linguists like Roger Shuy, who’s written a handful of books on the subject, have managed to solve criminal cases by identifying personal and regional distinctions in a suspect’s language. Though far from a silver bullet, the practice seems to have a solid place in the future of law enforcement. This is part of a complete episode.
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