Forensic linguistics is a broad and burgeoning field that brings together linguistic inquiry elements with forensic application as diverse as text message and letter analysis for syntactic cues to a writer's identity, to acoustic and phonetic analysis of recordings for various factors, including speaker id, speaker state of mind, and analysis of various crime and civil case recordings for clues to the authenticity and nature of the sound events captured. Please enjoy the following links for additional information on and examples of forensic linguistic work in the world today:
What is forensic linguistics?
-Here is a short description of the field from a legal standpoint. Brought to you by LanguageandLaw.org.
http://www.languageandlaw.org/FORENSIC.HTM
Aston University's Centre for Forensic Linguistics
-Here is a link to the “first” forensic linguistics center at Aston University in the UK. There are a number of interesting video links here from the inaugural lecture series for the center.
http://www.forensiclinguistics.net/YouTube link to an Aston University Inaugural Lecture of Interest
-This link gives you a glimpse of the kind of work being done by Aston's forensic linguists. Additional videos are available on their website, linked above.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z6Krsjwc84&feature=player_embedded