On the Application of Forensic Linguistics in the Iranian Context: Insights from ELT and Law Experts

Forensic Linguistics (Henceforth, FL) recognizes the pivotal role that language plays in legal cases, particularly in the analysis of documents and similar evidence. This means that language can be applied as an investigatory tool to solve legal problems. The objective of this qualitative study was to conceptualize and construct a comprehensive model for the applications of FL in Iranian EFL context. To this end, some face to face and focus group interviews were performed. Twenty-three university professors (including 12 associate and assistant professors in the field of TEFL and 11 associate and assistant professors in the field of law) with diverse profile of experience from three distinct provinces of Iran participated in the interviews. Codifying and transcribing the data according to Corbin and Strauss’s (2014) systematic steps of open, axial and selective coding, the results demonstrated five main themes (balancing asymmetrical power, clarifying the courtroom discourse, recognizing one’s personal identity, promoting fair and just language, interpreting legal documents soundly) and twenty categories. The findings suggest we can effectively harness advantages of FL to elevate and foster justice, and to ensure linguistic precision in legal and forensic proceedings of Iranian context.