The Aston Forensic Linguistic Databank (FoLD)

Abstract

The Aston Forensic Linguistic Databank (FoLD) is a permanent,
controlled access online repository for forensic linguistic data. We broadly
understand forensic linguistics as any academic research with a potential to
improve the delivery of justice through the analysis of language. FoLD thus
comprises a wide range of datasets with relevance to forensic linguistics and
language and law, including commercial extortion letters, investigative interviews
in police and other contexts, legal documents, forum posts from far-right online
groups, and comment threads from political blogs. This paper outlines how FoLD
works and its potential impact on the general discipline of forensic linguistics.