LEICESTER, England, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- British psychologists are planning an experiment investigating texting language, designed to provide new tools for criminal investigation.
The forensic linguistic study at the University of Leicester will examine how well an individual can be identified by their texting style.
The research is being conducted by forensic linguist Tim Grant, and forensic researcher Kim Drake.
"This piece of Leicester research will have important applications for forensic investigation," said Grant. "For example, in the past text messages have been used as an alibi to murder. Being able to say who wrote a particular text message sent from a particular phone has many potential forensic applications.
"No previous study has systematically studied the linguistic consistency and variation in individuals' texting style," Grant said. "This will also be the first study to examine the influence of peer groups upon writing style and texting language. Specifically, the study will examine how one person's style is influenced by texts received from their friends."
The study's results will be submitted to the Journal of Speech, Language and the Law.
