iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 13/07/2026

(Sharing on behalf of Teba Naqash, event organizer and current PhD student at the University of Leeds) This seems like a great (and free!) event for PGRs interested in learning more about corpus linguistics! The event runs 9:30-14:00 BST on 27 July; registration is via the QR code in the image.

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M.J. Crockett @mjcrockett.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Joseph Weizenbaum's 1976 book, Computer Power and Human Reason, has long been out of print - used copies sell for hundreds of dollars. It's wild that this is not more widely available given how much his ideas still apply to the world we're in now. 🧵/

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 03/07/2026

So cool to see my work with @danaroemling.bsky.social mentioned as part of "Forensic Linguistics in the United Kingdom"! Thanks to @ralphmortonlang.bsky.social, @emchiang.bsky.social, and Malcolm Coulthard for including us, and shout-out to our paragraph neighbor @lucia-busso.bsky.social.

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Dr Joe McIntyre @drjoemcintyre.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

🚨 ***Pseudolaw Conference Alert*** There is still time to register for this amazing conference hosted by @leader-kate.bsky.social @linguistlawyer.com and myself at Queen Mary, London on Thursday & Friday this week The program and details are all available at pseudolaw.org/events/

Flyer for 'Conspiracy Theories and Pseudolaw' Conference - more info at https://pseudolaw.org/events/

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 29/05/2026

My mom's family was absolutely obsessed with this game when they were kids!

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 26/05/2026

Registration is now open for next month's Conspiracy Theories & Pseudolaw conference on 18 and 19 June. Both online and in-person atteance are free and the event will also be the official launch of @pseudolaw.org! The program is below and you can register at: tinyurl.com/55yrx627 See you there!

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Dr. Donald J Netolitzky, PhD, LLM, KC (retired) @dnetolitzky.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Pseudolaw sometimes involves real law, so sometimes the best cases to explain why a real legal dispute ends up with an outcome are cases about pseudolaw. Yes, this is a Meads v Meads thingie. I discuss a land access dispute example here: www.reddit.com/r/amibeingde... And here's the key part.

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Iris van Rooij 💭 @irisvanrooij.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Meet the academics refusing to use generative AI Researchers say they have their reasons for avoiding AI tools — and they’re sick of arguing about it. www.nature.com/articles/d41... h/t @maartenp.bsky.social

nature.com

Meet the academics refusing to use generative AI

Researchers say they have their reasons for avoiding AI tools — and they’re sick of arguing about it.

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Ralph Morton @ralphmortonlang.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

aifl-blog.com/an-introduct... highly recommend checking out the fascinating (and magical!) new post on the AIFL blog today from David Griffin (@linguistlawyer.com) and Gordon Reynolds

aifl-blog.com

An Introduction to Magical Legal Pragmatics

By David Griffin (PhD, JD) and Gordon Reynolds (PhD)

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 07/05/2026

Thank you, Ralph! This was a very fun piece to work on and we're very proud of it. Also, great pick for the header image!

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 12/04/2026

A momentous achievement on the home front today: just a bit more than three months after we moved to Yorkshire, we have officially unpacked our last box! Still lots to do but the place is really starting to feel like it's ours at this point.

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 01/04/2026

If you missed this talk (or just want to relive it!), it's now available to watch on @aifl.bsky.social's YouTube channel at the link below: www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5t6...

youtube.com

AIFL Research Seminar: Dr David Griffin, An Introduction to Magical Legal Pragmatics

YouTube video by Aston University

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Kate Leader @leader-kate.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Call For Papers: Conspiracy Theories and Pseudolaw Conference 📅 Friday 19 June 2026 📍 Lincoln's Inns Fields, Queen Mary, University of London tinyurl.com/5bwhur6v Please email your submission (max 300 words) to k.leader@qmul.ac.uk by 28 February 2026. Please share.

tinyurl.com

Call for Papers - FINAL.docx

Conference Call for Papers Conspiracy Theories & Pseudolaw Queen Mary, University of London Friday 19 June 2026 Conspiracy theories have gone mainstream. What were once seen as fringe concerns are no...

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 29/01/2026

Many thanks to Gordon Reynols for his help with the historical background research! Keep your eyes posted for more on this topic from us in the future...

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 29/01/2026

On 12 February, I'm (virtually) returning to @aifl.bsky.social! In this talk, I will explain why I think that legal and magical discourses are functionally identical and how approaching the analysis of legal texts with their magical qualities in mind will benefit researchers. Tickets below:

eventbrite.co.uk

An Introduction to Magical Legal Pragmatics

Speaker: Dr. David Griffin

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BAAL Corpus Linguistics SIG @corpus-sig.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Did you know we have a mailing list for the discussion of all maters related to corpus linguistics and SIG events? Sign up now to stay in the loop about our upcoming elections and AGM! You can do so yourself at www.jiscmail.ac.uk (search for BAAL-CORPUS-SIG) or just email david@linguistlawyer.com.

jiscmail.ac.uk

JISCMail

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

"A core principle behind the founding of the United States is 'No Kings.'...250 years into our independent nationhood, Trump either believes or pretends he can do anything he wants, unaccountable to any earthly authority." @jilldlawrence.bsky.social on today's protests www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

msnbc.com

Opinion | Republicans' attacks on 'No Kings' protests reek of desperation

Republicans’ fictional portrait is part of a strategy to stop the resistance before it flexes its growing power.

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 15/10/2025

Come join us on the BAAL Corpus SIG! And don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

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BAAL Corpus Linguistics SIG @corpus-sig.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

Just over one week left to submit an abstract for our upcoming event, "AI and EAP: New Directions" hosted by Coventry University! You can view the call for papers and register to attend on 15 December at the link below:

eventsforce.net

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 06/10/2025

Now on to the next project! I've been getting back into the "law and magic" area lately and hope to have something fun to share about that in the not-too-distant future. 5/5

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 06/10/2025

Many thanks to my friends and colleagues at @aifl.bsky.social for helping inspire this piece (particularly @timgrant123.bsky.social and Amy Booth) and for giving me an opportunity to workshop it at one of their Thursday seminars last term. 4/5

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 06/10/2025

As I describe in the article, I think this definition accurately captures the breadth and vibrancy of the field while excluding work which clearly doesn't belong. By establishing a clear baseline, it also allows for the meaningful subcategorization of FL studies. I'm really proud of this one! 3/5

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 06/10/2025

Based on definitions others have offered and a review of works commonly held to belong to the field, I propose that "forensic linguistics" is best described as "that set of linguistic studies which either examine legal data or examine data for explicitly legal purposes." 2/5

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 06/10/2025

Out now (and open access!) in the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law: "What We Talk About When We Talk About Forensic Linguistics" This article is my attempt to get a handle on the perennial problem of describing forensic linguistics as a coherent field. 1/5 rdcu.be/eJoJP

rdcu.be

What We Talk About When We Talk About Forensic Linguistics

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 21/08/2025

I'm once again thinking about how great it must have been to be a linguist in the 60s. You could just say stuff! The amount of people who got away with what is essentially "It is doubtless true that..." followed by an unevidenced claim and are still widely cited today is staggering.

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 05/08/2025

I absolutely love this! It's like they took my PhD thesis and turned it into an art project. I'll be referencing Heavyweight in future language and law classes and talks I give about legal semiotics; you can generate your own legal-seeming letters at heavyweight.cc. Amazing stuff!

heavyweight.cc

Heavyweight: Letters Taken Seriously - Free & Open Legal Letterhead Generator

Generate professional-looking demand letters with style and snootiness

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 17/07/2025

Coming up on 29 July: I'm excited to present a keynote as part of AASTMT's symposium on "Forensic Linguistics across Legal, Digital and Public Discourses"! I'll be discussing what makes data "legal" and why that status does (or sometimes doesn't) matter. It'll be a fun day; come along if you can!

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 16/07/2025

I'm now on LinkedIn! If you'd like, you can connect with me there at www.linkedin.com/in/david-griffin-b94571375.

linkedin.com

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 11/07/2025

I had a blast talking to Robbie for this! Check it out to learn about my research interests and my forensic linguistics origin story. And thanks again to @aifl.bsky.social for having me!

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 07/07/2025

This article has been in the works for a while (a few years, actually, in some shape or form) and it's very exciting to finally have it out there! We hope it will help anyone with an interest in studying the US legal system understand how they can more easily (and ethically) obtain their data.

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 07/07/2025

New preprint from Alex Moe and myself! "American Courtroom Data: A Legal Guide for Researchers" will be in the next issue of Language and Law / Linguagem e Direito. In this piece, we explore the legal regulations surrounding the access and use of data derived from US courtroom proceedings.

researchgate.net

(PDF) American Courtroom Data: A Legal Guide for Researchers

PDF | Subject to very few exceptions, courtroom data generated in the United States (i.e. any material that is either part of a docket or derived from... | Find, read and cite all the research you nee...

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 01/07/2025

That's it from me at #CL2025 this week! I had a blast. See everyone in two years!

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 01/07/2025

This afternoon at #CL2025: Annina Van Riper on "Linguistic mechanisms of trust in the Pick-Up artist community: a multidimensional analysis". There are some interesting parallels here between PUAs and Sovereign Citizen "gurus"!

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 30/06/2025

@debbiecabral.bsky.social leads us through her approach to dealing with issues of relevance and dispersion in corpus analysis as the BAAL Corpus SIG panel continues #CL2025

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 30/06/2025

Siân Alsop opens the BAAL Corpus SIG panel on "Methodological innovation in applied corpus linguistics" by explaining her work on the Children's Storybook Corpus. Next up @debbiecabral.bsky.social and then me! #CL2025

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 30/06/2025

And we're off! @robbielove.org opens #CL2025 on what is looking to be a sweltering day in Birmingham

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 19/06/2025

Seeking participants! An MA student I am supervising is looking for speakers of English to answer a few survery questions for her dissertation. You can find out more and participate at this link: mailchi.mp/6fcd7c955006... Please share and sign up if you can!

mailchi.mp

Invitation to Participate

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Bradley Busch @handle.invalid · 18/06/2025

New research from MIT found that those who used ChatGPT can’t remember any of the content of their essays. Key takeaway: the product doesn’t suffer, but the process does. And when it comes to essays, the process *is* how they learn. arxiv.org/pdf/2506.088...

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 04/06/2025

Absolutely! www.languageandlaw.eu/jll for example. Also, sort of confusingly, "law and language" is a distinct thing having more to do with philosophy than linguistics. "Language and law" is closer to "forensic linguistics", if that helps.

languageandlaw.eu

International Journal of Language & Law (JLL)

Language & Law is a platinum open access scholarly e-journal which offers a forum for research on the interdependence of language and law in all of its facets, from theoretical approaches to practical...

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 04/06/2025

"Language and law" might be a good one to throw in there? I've definitely seen it (and used it myself) in similar contexts.

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 30/05/2025

The amazing @empowell.bsky.social has a new monograph out today about the language of mass shooter manifestos. I've been following Emily's work since we did our PhDs together and highly recommend anyone interested in the topic check it out. www.routledge.com/The-Language...

routledge.com

The Language of Mass Shooter Manifestos: A Corpus-Based Analysis of Pre-Crime Narratives

Bringing together scholarship from corpus linguistics, forensic linguistics, and criminology, this book offers a nuanced exploration of moral agency in the pre-crime narratives of offenders. The volum...

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 09/05/2025

i can’t get enough of the chicago pope jokes

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 30/04/2025

I'm very much looking forward to serving as the next treasurer of the International Association for Forensic & Legal Linguistics! It'll be great to contribute to the continued development of @iafll.bsky.social which, as I've said before, has always felt like my "home" organization.

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News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Wow Chicago! #HandsOff #FiftyFiftyOne (🎥 Marco Foster)

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 31/03/2025

There are trans Americans right now looking out at this world and wondering if anyone is going to stand up for them and for their simple right to exist. Well, I am. We are. We will.

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David Griffin @linguistlawyer.com · 26/03/2025

I'm very happy to see the Dean of @bulaw.bsky.social on this list!

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Paul Rayson @perayson.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

After a soft launch in the last couple of weeks, #wmatrix version 7 is now completely freely available worldwide for academic users plus UK government and NHS email addresses. This is the largest revision of the software since it was created 25 years ago: ucrel.lancs.ac.uk/wmatrix/

ucrel.lancs.ac.uk

Wmatrix corpus analysis and comparison tool

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