FORENSIC STYLEMETRY OF SYNTAX STRUCTURES IN LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF LEGAL TEXTS

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the study of forensic stylometry of syntactic structures as an innovative tool for forensic linguistic analysis of legal texts amidst the development of the rule of law and the increasing number of offenses in the digital environment. The relevance of the topic stems from the necessity to improve authorship examination methods capable of ensuring the objectivity, reliability, and admissibility of evidence in criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings. The emergence of new forms of communication, along with the widespread practice of anonymization and text falsification, actualizes the need to use syntactic markers as stable indicators of authorial style.
The work emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of forensic stylometry, which combines achievements in linguistics, criminalistics, law, and information technologies. Three main approaches to text analysis are examined: classical linguistic, quantitative statistical, and hybrid, which integrates automated analysis with expert interpretation. Particular attention is paid to syntax as a level of speech less susceptible to conscious manipulation. Key indicators include sentence typology, average utterance length, specifics of subordination, word order, inversion, and the use of parenthetical constructions and discourse markers. A systemic analysis of these characteristics allows for establishing the author’s unique “syntactic signature.”
Scientific approaches of domestic and foreign researchers emphasizing the importance of syntactic structures in classification and authorship examinations are analyzed. Practical testing of the method was carried out through forensic analysis of an authentic scientific-legal text, during which stable syntactic invariants of the author were isolated. The article provides examples from Ukrainian judicial practice where the results of linguistic expertise were decisive for classifying offenses and protecting honor, dignity, business reputation, and copyright. It is demonstrated that syntactic analysis contributes to a clear distinction between factual statements and value judgments, which has immediate legal significance.
Summarizing the results, the authors conclude that forensic stylometry is a promising direction for the development of forensic linguistic research, combining traditional and innovative approaches, enhancing the evidentiary weight of expert conclusions, and ensuring a balance between scientific substantiation and the needs of judicial practice. Further development of this direction is possible through the integration of automated text processing algorithms and the use of Ukrainian language corpus resources.