Forensic Linguistics

A Forensic Linguistics Case Study of the Mystery of the Golden Coast Serial Killer: The ZodiacPresented By: Razan S. Badawi

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no two people have the same handwriting. Thus, handwriting is viewed as being as identifiable as a fingerprint. Nicole Letch (2004) What is Forensic Linguistics?

Who is the Zodiac?

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Main Suspects

Richard Gaikowski (1936 2004) Arthur Leigh Allen (1933 -1992)5

Research Methodology

"linguistics helps build a profile, not identify an individual" (Leonard, 2005)

- Linguistic analysis of hand-written evidence:SpellingPunctuationLexical Choice 6

This is the Zodiac Speaking...Spelling I Cipher + Cypher = cyipher !?

noun 1a secret or disguised way of writing; a code.

verb 1 [with object] put (a message) into secret writing; encode.

Cipher(cipher) Pronunciation: /sfr/(also cypher)oxforddictionaries.com8

This is the Zodiac Speaking...Spelling II

This is the Zodiac Speaking...Punctuation

The Zodiacs Bates letter that he sent to the Riverside Police Department

This is the Zodiac Speaking...Lexical Choice I

Kill (verb):to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of; slay.

http://dictionary.reference.com/

Mailed: July 31, 1969Sent to: San Francisco Examinerhttp://www.zodiackiller.com/ExaminerLetter1.html

This is the Zodiac Speaking...Lexical Choice II

Murder (noun):Law. the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder) and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder)

http://dictionary.reference.com/

Mailed: July 31, 1969Sent to: San Francisco Chroniclehttp://www.zodiackiller.com/ChronicleLetter1.html

Results:Creating a ProfileEducatedKnowledgeableWell-readReligious Had a non-stop desire to killHad a god complexA linguistic prodigy

Referenceshttp://www.zodiackiller.com/Letters.htmlhttp://zodiacrevisited.com/bad-compan/http://www.visualthesaurus.com/app/viewhttp://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/cipher?region=us&q=cipherhttp://dictionary.reference.com/http://wordstodeeds.com/2012/02/16/what-exactly-is-forensic-linguistics/http://www.officialcoldcaseinvestigations.com/showthread.php?t=2788http://www.zodiackiller.com/SuspectGaikowski.htmlhttp://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/http://sapphirelove.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=22&action=print&thread=43

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Thank You

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