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Die vangnet van die woord: forensies-linguistiese getuienis in 'n lastersaak
Abstract
In hierdie artikel doen ek verslag van 'n saak in die Hooggeregshof van die Oos-Kaap waarin die voorlegging van forensies-linguistiese getuienis 'n beslissende rol gespeel het by 'n skuldigbevinding aan kriminele laster. Die doel van hierdie verslag is om die lig te laat val op 'n toepassing van taalkundige beginsels wat tot dusver in die Suid-Afrikaanse (asook die Afrika-) konteks grotendeels verwaarloos is. Een van die redes daarvoor is waarskynlik die gepaardgaande sleurwerk verbonde aan die verwerking van die betrokke taaldata — iets wat egter deur die onlangse meteoriese vooruitgang in tegnologiese tegnieke op die agtergrond geskuif is en nuwe moontlikhede na vore laat kom het. In die lig van die kompleksiteit van die saak aan die een kant en en die ruimtebeperkings van die gedrukte medium vir 'n publikasie van dié aard aan die ander, word die artikel op die volgende wyse gestruktureer: Eerstens word 'n kort historiese oriëntasie van die studieveld gegee. Dit word gevolg deur 'n beskrywing van die aanloop tot hierdie bepaalde saak, asook die mees pertinente besonderhede daarvan. Ten slotte gee ek 'n opsomming van die proses waarvolgens die taaldata verwerk is, asook enkele verteenwoordigende voorbeelde van die vorm waarin die getuienis aangebied is.
The article takes the form of a report on a linguistic investigation of forensic texts which played a pivotal role in securing a conviction by the High Court of the Eastern Cape on a number of counts of criminal defamation in the case of the State versus Hoho. The report is introduced by a brief historical orientation of the field of forensic linguistics, both abroad (in particular in the USA), and its initial application in the South African context. A description is given of the run-up to, as well as the most salient details of, the case, informally known and reported in the
media as the ‘Father Punch case'. This is followed by a summary of the procedure according to which the linguistic data were processed, and then a presentation and discussion of some representative examples of the form in which the evidence was presented. Finally, an assessment is given of the potential value that the judgement could have on the future cooperation between the judiciary and linguists in South Africa.
Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2007, 25(3): 385–399
The article takes the form of a report on a linguistic investigation of forensic texts which played a pivotal role in securing a conviction by the High Court of the Eastern Cape on a number of counts of criminal defamation in the case of the State versus Hoho. The report is introduced by a brief historical orientation of the field of forensic linguistics, both abroad (in particular in the USA), and its initial application in the South African context. A description is given of the run-up to, as well as the most salient details of, the case, informally known and reported in the
media as the ‘Father Punch case'. This is followed by a summary of the procedure according to which the linguistic data were processed, and then a presentation and discussion of some representative examples of the form in which the evidence was presented. Finally, an assessment is given of the potential value that the judgement could have on the future cooperation between the judiciary and linguists in South Africa.
Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2007, 25(3): 385–399
