Analysing commercial discourse in Algeria: a forensic linguistics study of trademarks and commercial signage in accordance with Algerian law

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how forensic linguistics can be mobilised to regulate deceptive commercial discourse in Algeria. It focuses on trademarks, commercial signage, advertising and standard-form contracts, asking how linguistic evidence can support consumer protection and fair competition. By situating Algeria within a comparative framework that includes the USA, UK and EU, the paper identifies structural gaps in the Algerian regime, particularly the absence of systematic linguistic expertise in regulatory and judicial practice. The study ultimately seeks to clarify the role of language analysis in strengthening commercial transparency and legal certainty. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative, discourse-analytic design grounded in critical discourse analysis and pragmatics. It combines close textual analysis of Algerian commercial discourse’advertisements, trademarks, contracts and public utility documentation EU with illustrative case studies such as the Orangina trademark dispute and Sonelgaz consumer contracts. These are read alongside statutory materials and regulatory practice from the USA, UK and EU to construct a comparative benchmark. Analytical attention is directed to vagueness, ambiguity, euphemism, implicature and cross-linguistic asymmetries between Arabic and French. This triangulated approach allows the study to relate micro-level linguistic patterns to macro-level questions of consumer protection and market regulation. Findings The analysis reveals that Algerian law formally prohibits deceptive practices and recognises consumer rights, yet the operationalisation of these norms remains weak. Commercial disputes are typically resolved without systematic resort to forensic linguistic expertise, and there is little jurisprudential guidance on how to evaluate ambiguous or manipulative wording in multilingual commercial texts. By contrast, advanced jurisdictions regularly employ linguistic experts, consumer surveys and plain-language requirements in advertising and contract law. The Algerian case studies illustrate concrete instances where linguistic analysis could have clarified ownership, reduced contractual ambiguity and improved transparency, thereby preventing or mitigating consumer detriment in everyday transactions. Originality/value This paper offers one of the first systematic attempts to link Algerian consumer and trademark law with forensic linguistic tools in the field of commercial discourse. It contributes a Global South perspective to comparative forensic linguistics by foregrounding Arabic–French bilingual advertising, trademark disputes and public-service contracts as sites of latent linguistic conflict. Beyond diagnosing regulatory shortcomings, the study advances a normative and practical roadmap: establishing specialised forensic language units, integrating AI-assisted discourse monitoring, revising procedural rules on expert evidence and developing explicit guidelines on misleading language. These proposals provide actionable insights for legislators, regulators and scholars alike.