Quantifying Awareness And Attitudes Towards Forensic Linguistics: A Survey Of Young Legal Professionals

Abstract

This research explored young lawyers' opinions of forensic linguistics in District Court Khairpur. A qualitative approach was used, targeting a population of attorneys. One hundred lawyers (both male and female) were selected via random sampling. Data was collected using a short, two-part questionnaire. The first part gathered demographic information, while the second comprised five Close-ended questions. The brief questionnaire format was chosen to accommodate respondents' busy schedules. Ethical considerations were addressed by obtaining informed consent from the participating lawyers. The collected data of informant responses was guided by the framework that Bucholtz and Hall (2005) established and presented numerically in tables. The findings indicate that most participants were familiar with forensic linguistics, recognized its importance in legal proceedings, and acknowledged its successful application in developed nations. However, opinions varied regarding whether utilizing forensic linguistics suggests professional weakness. Based on these results, the researchers offered recommendations for future research and found a dire need for more studies from the same perspective.

Keywords: Forensic Linguistics, Legal representatives, lawyers’ opinions, Survey research