The FORGE and the Pragmatics & Stylistics Research Group (PaSty) are delighted to announce our first joint external guest speaker of 2015: Danuta Reah. Danuta is a crime novelist who has written books featuring forensic linguistics. Details of her talk are below:

TITLE
Language, Crime, and Death

ABSTRACT
Please be aware that this talk will involve reference to criminal cases, including murder.

Our language tells more about us that we realise – every time we speak or write, we give away things we don’t intend. This is the field of the forensic linguist, searching for the truth that is hiding behind the words. This talk looks at aspects of forensic linguistics: the man who was hanged because the word ‘the’ appeared in his statement – or did it? the way a voice identified a criminal decades after the crime. It also looks at the ways a novelist can weave stories around the secrets hidden in language.

BIO
Danuta Reah published her first novel, Only Darkness, in 1999. She has subsequently written seven novels, the latest being The Last Room. She had also published prize winning short stories. Crime – or dissent – runs in the family. Her father was declared an enemy of the state by Stalin, and one of her ancestors was hung, drawn and quartered in 1646 for his religious beliefs.

You can find out more about Danuta’s work and life at her website. Danuta is also on Twitter and Facebook.

TIME & PLACE
W04, 1600-1700, Tue 27^th Oct, Management School Lecture Theatre 3