The broad meaning of Forensic Linguistics covers any area in which linguistics—the study of language and how it works—intersects with the law. Linguists’ knowledge can contribute to cases involving:

• the meaning of the language of a statute
• plagiarism
• copyright infringement
• language in contracts
• jury instructions
• translation issues in court

The narrower meaning of the term refers specifically to linguistic analysis of evidence in a criminal investigation or trial. This includes answering questions like the following:

• Could the suspect/defendant have written a particular unsigned communication?
• For a document (such as a ransom note) with an unknown author, what can be surmised about the author by the way he or she uses language? (Whether he/she is writing in his/her first language, regional origin, educational level, etc.)
• What was actually said by a suspect/defendant in a voice recording?
• Does the suspect’s accent in a voice recording reveal a regional dialect?