Writing Wrongs
Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics
Recent Episodes
Series 2 - Episode 5
Terror in the State of Denmark - Conversations from a List of Resolutes
Joined by Dr Tanya Karoli Christensen, hosts Nicci and Tim discuss a counterterrorism investigation from Denmark. In this case, linguistic analysis proved vital in unraveling implied meanings in text messages between a young man of Kurdish background, suspected of planning to travel to Syria to join ISIS, and another man, suspected of trying to recruit him.
Through an analysis of 192 written chat messages from March 2015 between the two individuals, Tanya shares how themes of money, battle and war, and urgency in planning played a role in advancing a Danish police investigation. Listen to discover more.
For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs
Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at [email protected] and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!
Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog
If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources:
Production Team: Angela Walker, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera
Sound: Angela Walker
Visual design: George Grant
Additional Voices: Mark Round, Peter Kiddle
With our thanks to Dr Tanya Karoli Christensen
Resources
Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer
Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer
Dr Tanya Karoli Christensen’s home page: Dr Tanya Karoli Christensen - Research Profile
This month, Writing Wrongs comes to you live as a part of the ESRC 2025 Festival of Social Science, from the West Midlands Police Museum at the Old Steelhouse Lane Lock-up.
Our hosts are joined by colleagues Dr Emily Chiang and Dr Ralph Morton to discuss the past, present, and future of forensic linguistics. This is a preview of their (along with Prof Malcolm Coulthard) forthcoming book titled Forensic Linguistics in the United Kingdom: Origins, Progress and Prospects, which will be available in 2026 from Cambridge Elements.
In the episode (about 40 minutes in) we discuss the Jenny Nicholl case and how their language differs - this is a transcription of the slide that the live audience could see:
· I am | Nicholl’s preference = im | Hodgson’s preference = i am
· I have | Nicholl’s preference = ive | Hodgson’s preference = ave
· my/myself | Nicholl’s preference = my/myself | Hodgson’s preference = me/meself
· off | Nicholl’s preference = off | Hodgson’s preference = of
· to | Nicholl’s preference = [word]2[word] | Hodgson’s preference = [word]2+space[word]
· see you | Nicholl’s preference = cu | Hodgson’s preference = cya
· phone | Nicholl’s preference = fone | Hodgson’s preference = phone
· shit | Nicholl’s preference = shit | Hodgson’s preference = shite
· am not | Nicholl’s preference = ‘m not | Hodgson’s preference = ain’t
We were also thrilled to be joined by many of our Wrong’uns (our loving nickname for our fans) for this recording session! It was so lovely to get to meet you and hear your stories. Thank you for your support!
For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs
Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at [email protected] and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!
Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog
If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources:
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
https://www.helpguide.org/find-help
Production Team: Angela Walker, Loretta Milan, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera
Sound: Angela Walker
Visual design: George Grant
Additional Voices: Lesley McCarthy, Paul McCarthy, Dana Roemling, Marie Kreft, and Alexander Oldknow
With our thanks to the ESRC and the West Midlands Police Museum, Dr Zoe Adams, Dr Daniela Schneevogt, and Karolina Placzynta
Resources
Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer
Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer
Dr Emily Chiang’s home page: Emily Chiang - Aston Research Explorer
Dr Ralph Morton’s homepage: Ralph Morton - Aston Research Explorer
This episode is about the New York Times, a high reputation paper of record in the Untied States, and how in theearly 2000s they came to publish a series of articles, which turned out to be plagiarised or untrue. Together with Professor Jack Grieve, from the University of Birmingham, our hosts Nicci and Tim take a look at how a linguistic approach to detecting fake news can make a difference.
For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs
Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at [email protected] and we may answer it duringan upcoming episode!
Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog
Production Team:
Angela Walker, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera
Sound:Angela Walker
Visual design:
George Grant
Additional Voices:
Angela Walker
With our thanks to Professor Jack Grieve
Professor Tim Grant’s home page:
Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer
Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page:
Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer
Professor Jack Grieve’s home page:
Professor Jack Grieve - Department ofLinguistics and Communication - University of Birmingham
Link to the book: The Language of Fake News
* Warning: This episode contains descriptions of gun violence, murder and capital punishment. *
In this first episode of a two-part case, Nicci and Tim discuss Derek Bentley’s story and the miscarriages of justice that occurred when he was found guilty of murder and received the death penalty.
Focusing on two different meaning ambiguities, our hosts explore 1) the alleged statement Derek made (‘Let him have it, Chris’) after which a police officer was shot, and 2) the legal vs. ordinary meaning of ‘to be held’, as it played a role in Derek’s failed appeal.
For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs
Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at [email protected] and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!
Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog
If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources:
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
https://www.helpguide.org/find-help
Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera
Sound: Sam Cook
Visual design: George Grant
Additional Voices: Sam Cook
Resources
Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer
Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer
‘Let him have it’ movie on Amazon Prime UK: Watch Let Him Have It | Prime Video
* Warning: This episode contains descriptions of the killing of a police officer and the death penalty. *
STOP! If you haven’t listened to part one of this case, go back and listen before starting this episode.
Last time, Nicci and Tim explored the language around the custodial status of Derek Bentley, who was one of the last people to be hanged as criminal punishment in the UK in 1953.
In part 2, we welcome Prof Malcolm Coulthard, Professor Emeritus here at Aston University, one of the founders of AIFL (Center for Forensic Linguistics at the time), and granddaddy of forensic linguistics. Prof Coulthard joins Nicci and Tim to further unpack the case, this time focusing on the alleged confession Bentley gave the morning following the crime in question. Like Timothy Evans in series 1, it was unclear whether Derek Bentley had truly penned the written confession later given as evidence in court.
For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs
Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at [email protected] and we may answer it during an upcoming episode!
Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog
If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources:
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
https://www.helpguide.org/find-help
Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera
Additional Editing: Angela Walker
Sound: Sam Cook
Visual design: George Grant
Additional Voices: Sam Cook
With our thanks to Professor Malcolm Couthard
Resources
Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer
Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer
Professor Malcolm Coulthard’s research gate profile: Malcolm Coulthard – Research Gate