Linguistics Seminar Series: John Baugh

Join us for this exciting entry in the Linguistics Seminar Series!Talk Title: Linguistics, Life, and DeathAbstract: Four African American male defendants were accused of murder in separate trials that hinged on linguistic results.

The first case claims that a white witness “overheard the voice of a black man,” at the scene of the crime. The second case is from a wire-tapped recording of a defendant awaiting trial. The prosecutor asserted that he had admitted guilt during a phone call.

Another case pertains to a drive-by shooting, where a child was killed. The final case represents a crime of passion after a lover’s quarrel. The defendant alleged racial bias based on prosecutor’s inflammatory characterizations of him during closing remarks.