Forensic discourse analysis studies the structure of a conversation by examining word usage. The goal is for a linguist to ascertain criminal intent, involvement or innocence by scrutinizing word choice. For example, a suspect who uses the word "we" or "us" when describing a crime indicates that he conspired with others.
Forensic linguists and phoneticians offer insight into linguistic proficiency by determining if a suspect understood his rights, the line of questioning and the legal language. Forensic conversation analysis can focus on the study of dialectology to determine the origin and language of a person. Linguists implement author identification techniques to ascertain whether a recording or note such as a ransom note indicates the suspect.
Linguists also investigate recorded police interrogations to decipher whether or not a person knowingly admitted guilt, underwent just interrogation or understood the conversation conducted throughout the interview. Lawyers can admit recorded interviews in court as evidence. Dialogue analysis can assist in proving or disproving guilt and can determine inconsistencies in the interviewing process, making recordings inadmissible in court.