4/29/2020· Linguistics

On The Devolution Of Political Slogans: Mike Will Get WHAT Done?

By: Dr. Alan Perlman

What kind of a political campaign would it be if we didn’t have slogans? The political slogan is like a brand name, a brief thought that somehow summarizes the campaign and a candidacy.

6/17/2019· Linguistics

"You have the right to remain silent…": On Understanding the Miranda Warning (It's Not So Easy)

By: Dr. Alan Perlman

The famous Miranda warning – “you have the right to remain silent…” — is actually very difficult to understand, especially for non-native speakers, who often give up their rights without knowing what they are.

10/21/2014· Linguistics

The Forensic Linguist and the Artful Dodger: Can People Deliberately Fake Their Writing Style?

By: Dr. Alan Perlman

Perhaps 25% of the cases I handle involve the authorship of anonymous, disputed, or forged documents. The client wants to know who's writing those nasty, threatening emails or letters. I typically ask the client for writing samples from the suspected author. Sometimes there's more than one suspect, and I have to decide which of them may be the author of the anonymous document(s).

1/29/2014· Linguistics

Forensic Linguistics: Meaning, Authorship, and Originality

By: Dr. Alan Perlman

There are many different kinds, dozens of areas of emphasis. Ultimately one becomes one's own kind of linguist, depending on where one's interest and preferences lead.

12/26/2013· Linguistics

Basic Forensic Linguistic Skills: How Text Sensitive Are You?

By: Dr. Alan Perlman

A forensic linguist must be exquisitely sensitive to nuances of text. Where a synonym exists, the very choice of each word represents a decision on the part of the author. Superimposed upon that is the way the word is spelled, abbreviated or capitalized. Truly, a text is a tangle of choices.

11/19/2013· Intellectual Property

On the Quasi-plagiarism of Sen. Rand Paul

By: Dr. Alan Perlman

All of a sudden, it seems, the search term Plagiarism Rand Paul gets over 40 MILLION Google hits. But the charge is somewhat bogus.

6/21/2013· Linguistics

Forensic Linguistics: Financial Rhetoric and the Intent to Deceive

By: Dr. Alan Perlman

I advertise myself (accurately) as a "linguistics expert" so I sometimes get questions about language usage.