Language Deception: analysis of conversation of male and female criminals

• Main Authors: Abd Rahim, Nur Athirah, Ariffin, Adlina
• Format: Proceeding Paper
• Language: English; English; English; English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: HM811 Deviant behavior. Social deviance
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/107530/1/Acceptance%20MAALIC%202023%20notification%20for%20paper%2012.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/107530/2/MAALIC%202023%20Programme%20Schedule_v11_with%20Links.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/107530/3/MAALIC%202023%20Slides.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/107530/19/Language%20Deception-%20Extended%20Abstract.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/107530/

Deception in the form of lying has become a tool to achieve one’s goal, be it in a formal or informal setting. The ability to lie is not as crucial as to successfully lying one’s way out in a police interview or investigation with a possibility of life sentences. Despite gaining interest among researchers, to date, most studies have investigated this issue from psychological and sociological perspectives. Meanwhile, studies from the linguistic perspective are very limited. To fill this gap, this study was conducted to investigate the linguistic features of lying utilised in the conversation of a male and female criminal during police interrogation sessions. The conversation data of Chris Watts and Jennifer Pan was accessed via Youtube which presented legitimate police interviews in its natural setting. Using a mixed-method approach, the data was analysed by utilising Bachenko et al. (2008) Linguistic Indicator of Deception which covers two major aspects 1) lack of commitment to a statement or declaration and 2) preference for negative expressions in word choice, syntactic structure and semantics. The findings were able to accentuate the differences and similarities between male and female criminals in their use of language to deceive the police investigators to avoid conviction and punishment. This study also reveals the importance of identifying other peculiar variables in deceptive communication to further enhance the understanding of deception and its methods.