Where's He Going?

What Forensic Linguistics and do for you.

The following gives you an idea of what Forensic Linguistics can do for you. The first picture shows the original article wherein Robert Hainsey, a highly sought-after high school football player, provided his top three universities he was considering for commitment:

After reading this, on June 21, 2016, I emailed the three sports editors of the South Bend Tribune to let them know Mr. Hainsey was going to commit to Notre Dame. How did I know?

First, let me talk a little about “othering.” Othering is a very powerful linguistic tool political leaders use to create or foster prejudices/biases by referring to specific segments of the public positively or negatively. Hitler, for example, used this tool to help the general public move toward discriminating against Jews. Leaders also use this linguistic tool to move public opinion more positively.

We all use “othering” in our everyday communications. When writing as a citizen of the U.S., I will refer to “we” and “us” and maybe a “they” or “them” when referring to the citizenry of another country. Those “othering” words give away my bias, preference, and belief to the listener. “We” shows I believe I am part of a team. “They” shows I think I’m not part of that team. The Forensic Linguist will use those analyses to help interpret communications.

So, with that, let’s look at the following picture of the same article wherein I highlight the “they’s” in Mr. Hainsey’s statements, showing why I was so convinced Mr. Hainsey was going to commit to Notre Dame:

In fact, Mr. Hainsey committed to Notre Dame on July 10, 2016. I knew that would happen in June because of the “othering” that gave it away. He showed the “team” he wanted to be on.