Analyzing Question Types in a 911 Call
Analyzing Question Types in a 911 Call
The audio recording and transcript at the link below come from a 911 call from a kidnapping case
in Minnesota in the 1980s. Answer the following:
1. Identify the question types that the 911 dispatcher uses throughout this call.
2. Count how many total questions of each type are used by the dispatcher and calculate the
percentages of each question type out of total questions.
3. Which question types are most frequent in this transcript?
4. What functions does each question type serve?
5. Do these functions change in different parts of the transcript?
6. Do you see patterns in the types of questions that are used in different parts of the call? If
so, what are they?
In your analysis, you may use the question type categories described in CJW Chapter 5 (pp. 82-
83) **Reference text will be attached separately**
Link: Wetterling 911 Call Audio and Transcript
A. Overview of Analysis. Answer questions that were included in the instructions and
summarize your overall findings, any examples or patterns that stood out to you, and any
questions you still have about your analysis. Mention at least one thing that stood out to you in
the data.
B. Analysis Sheets. You will need to keep a record of your analysis process. This can be in
an electronic version of the data you're analyzing with your notes added (e.g., an MS Word doc
where you’ve marked specific language features in different colors or with margin comments)
or an electronic scan of a handwritten document. This document can be messy, but it should
allow me to see how you analyzed your data. You do not need to edit or clean up this document
efore you submit it.
I will grade this assignment based on the following criteria:
o Have you provided all of the information that was asked for in the instructions?
o Is the analysis thorough and systematic?
o Is the analysis generally accurate?
o Have you supported your interpretations with evidence from the data?
An Introduction to Forensic Linguistics
‘The substantially revised edition of this pioneering forensic linguistics textbook
combines the formidable expertise and wisdom of two of the field’s most
espected leaders with the fresh perspective of one of its
ight new scholars.
Students will love the fascinating illustrative data from a large number of real
cases from five continents.’
Diana Eades, University of New England, Australia
Praise for the First Edition
‘Seldom do introductions to any field offer such a wealth of information or
provide such a useful a
ay of exercise activities for students in the way that this
ook 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, USA
‘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
This page intentionally left blank
An Introduction to Forensic
Linguistics
An Introduction to Forensic Linguistics: Language in Evidence has established
itself as the essential textbook written by leading authorities in this expanding
field. The second edition of this bestselling textbook begins with a new introduc-
tion and continues in two parts.
Part One deals with the language of the legal process, and begins with a substan-
tial new chapter exploring key theoretical and methodological approaches. In
four updated chapters it goes onto cover the language of the law, initial calls to
the emergency services, police interviewing, and courtroom discourse. Part Two
looks at language as evidence, with substantially revised and updated chapters on
the following key topics:
• the work of the forensic linguist
• forensic phonetics
• authorship attribution
• the linguistic investigation of plagiarism
• the linguist as expert witness.
The authors combine an a
ay of perspectives on forensic linguistics, using
knowledge and experience gained in legal settings – Coulthard in his work as an
expert witness for cases such as the Birmingham Six and the Derek Bentley
appeal, and Johnson as a former police officer. Research tasks, further reading,
web links, and a new conclusion ensure that this remains the core textbook for
courses in forensic linguistics and language and the law. A glossary of key terms
is also available at https:
www.routledge.com/products/ XXXXXXXXXXand on
the Routledge Language and Communication Portal.
Malcolm Coulthard is Emeritus Professor of Forensic Linguistics at Aston
University, UK, and Visiting Professor at the Federal University of Santa
Catarina, Brazil. He is the co-editor of the recently launched international journal
Language and Law, Linguagem e Direito and author of many books including An
Introduction to Discourse Analysis (1985).
https:
www.routledge.com/products/ XXXXXXXXXX
Alison Johnson is Lecturer in English Language at the University of Leeds, UK.
She is the co-editor (with Malcolm Coulthard) of The Routledge Handbook of
Forensic Linguistics XXXXXXXXXXand an editor of The International Journal of Speech,
Language and the Law.
David Wright is Lecturer in Linguistics at Nottingham Trent University, UK,
and Reviews editor of Language and Law, Linguagem e Direito.
An Introduction to Forensic
Linguistics
Language in Evidence
Second edition
Malcolm Coulthard, Alison Johnson and
David Wright
Second edition published 2017
y Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Malcolm Coulthard, Alison Johnson and David Wright
The right of Malcolm Coulthard, Alison Johnson and David Wright to be
identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
egistered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
First edition published by Routledge 2007
British Li
ary Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Li
ary
Li
ary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Coulthard, Malcolm, author. | Johnson, Alison, 1959- author. |
Wright, David, 1948 December 10-Title: An Introduction to forensic
linguistics/ by Malcolm Coulthard, Alison Johnson and David Wright.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY ; Routledge, [2016] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN XXXXXXXXXX | ISBN XXXXXXXXXXhardback) |
ISBN XXXXXXXXXXpbk.) | ISBN XXXXXXXXXXebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Forensic linguistics.
Classification: LCC K2287.5 C68 2016 | DDC 363.25–dc23LC
ecord available at http:
lccn.loc.gov/ XXXXXXXXXX
ISBN: XXXXXXXXXXhbk)
ISBN: XXXXXXXXXXpbk)
ISBN: XXXXXXXXXXebk)
Typeset in Times
y Cenveo Publisher Services
http:
lccn.loc.gov/ XXXXXXXXXX
This book is affectionately dedicated to our families
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
List of illustrations xiii
Acknowledgements xv
1 Introduction 1
Legal words, murder, plagiarism, trademarks and a voice hoax 2
Who is this book for? 3
Organisation of the book 4
Reading and research tasks and how they function 4
The second edition 5
PART I
The Language of the Legal Process 7
2 Critical, theoretical, and methodological approaches
to language in legal settings 9
Introduction – Powerful professionals and ordinary people 9
Sociolinguistics and forensic linguistics 14
Pragmatics and legal language 19
(Critical) Discourse and Conversation Analysis 22
Corpus linguistics 26
Conclusion 29
Further reading 30
Research task 30
3 The language of the law 31
Introduction 31
Legal style and register 33
Ordinary and special meanings 44
On applying the law 46
Conclusion 48
x Contents
Further reading 49
Research tasks 49
4 Emergency service calls and police interviewing 51
Collecting evidence in first encounters with witnesses and suspects 51
Introduction 51
First encounters – calls to the emergency services 52
Active listening in police negotiations when making an a
est 56
Police interviews and statements 58
Vulnerable witnesses – on interviewing children and rape victims 67
Context, intertextuality and audience design 70
Conclusion 72
Further reading 73
Research tasks 74
5 Trial discourse 75
Introduction – into the courtroom 76
The trial as a complex genre 77
Trial genres – from jury selection to deliberation and verdict 80
Examination and cross-examination of witnesses 82
Na
ative in the courtroom 94
The expert witness in the courtroom 96
Children in the courtroom 97
Conclusion 100
Further reading 101
Research tasks 101
PART II
Language as Evidence 103
6 The work of the forensic linguist 105
Introduction 105
Morphological meaning and phonetic similarity 105
Syntactic complexity 108
Lexico-grammatical ambiguity 109
Lexical meaning 110
Pragmatic meaning 112
The recording of interaction in written form – police interview notes 117
Na
ative analysis of a disputed statement 120
The challenges for non-native speakers 122
Conclusion 127
Contents xi
Further reading 128
Research tasks 128
7 Forensic phonetics 129
The work of the forensic phonetician 129
Transcription and disputed utterances 130
Analysing the human voice 133
Speaker profiling 135
Speaker comparison 138
Naïve speaker recognition, earwitnesses and voice parades 145
Conclusion 149
Further reading 149
Research tasks 150
8 Authorship attribution 151
Introduction 151
A
ief history of authorship attribution 152
Linguistic variation and style markers 155
Consistency and distinctiveness 157
The Jenny Nicholl case 158
Combining stylistics and statistics: The Amanda Birks case 160
Corpus methods in authorship attribution 162
Conclusion 171
Further reading 171
Research tasks 171
9 On textual bo
owing 174
Introduction 174
The history of plagiarism 175
Universities and plagiarism 176
Plagiarism and translation 182
Do people repeat themselves? 184
The evidential value of single identical strings 189
Coda 190
Further reading 191
Research tasks 191
10 The linguist as expert witness