Towards a cognitive forensic stylistics: An intercoder reliability test for replicable feature finding in the Operation Heron corpus

This paper reports an initial application of contemporary cognitive stylistics to forensic linguistic contexts. In both areas, a need has been identified for robust analyses. An intercoder reliability study was developed using data from a historic authorship analysis case involving single-authored h...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Language and literature (Harlow, England) Jg. 34; H. 4; S. 327 - 348
Hauptverfasser: Voice, Matthew, Harrison, Chloe, Grant, Tim, Giovanelli, Marcello
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: London, England SAGE Publications 01.11.2025
Sage Publications Ltd
Schlagworte:
Authorship
Cognition
Cognitive grammar
Construal
Corpus linguistics
Elaboration
Forensic linguistics
Grammar
Grammatical aspect
Hate speech
Racism
Reliability
Research methodology
Stylistics
Test validity and reliability
Tests
forensic linguistics
Authorship analysis
cognitive grammar
qualitative coding
intercoder reliability
construal
cognitive stylistics
ISSN:0963-9470, 1461-7293
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:This paper reports an initial application of contemporary cognitive stylistics to forensic linguistic contexts. In both areas, a need has been identified for robust analyses. An intercoder reliability study was developed using data from a historic authorship analysis case involving single-authored hate mail. Exploring the applicability of Cognitive Grammar’s notion of construal as a reliable framework for describing salient features of the author’s style, this test examined the accuracy and consistency of descriptions of schematicity and specificity within the corpus, as applied by independent coders. Iterative coding and testing demonstrated that reliability was achievable, but depended upon a protocol developed through considerable definitional work, refining the concepts of specificity and elaboration as taken from Cognitive Grammar. Our findings support the idea that the identification of stylistic features can be rigorous, retrievable, and replicable, but also that a fuller system of coding will require a substantial research programme. Such an approach, bringing together contemporary stylistics and forensic authorship analysis, would be a productive collaboration between both disciplines and a valuable research method for verifiability in stylistics more generally. Content: Readers are advised that the letters analysed for this study contain offensive language, and that short quotes within this paper include racist and hateful language directed at particular groups.
Bibliographie:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:0963-9470
1461-7293
DOI:10.1177/09639470251337632