Editing Idiolect (section)

==Forensic linguistics==
{{main|Forensic linguistics}}
Forensic linguistics includes attempts to identify whether a person produced a given text by comparing the style of the text with the idiolect of the individual in question. The forensic linguist may conclude that the text is consistent with the individual, rule out the individual as the author, or deem the comparison inconclusive.<ref>McMenamin, Gerald R. & Dongdoo Choi (2002) ''Forensic Linguistics: Advances in Forensic Stylistics''. London: CRC Press.</ref>

In 1995, [[Max Appedole]] relied in part on an analysis of [[Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente]]'s writing style to identify him as [[Subcomandante Marcos]], a leader of the [[Zapatista Army of National Liberation|Zapatista movement]]. Although the [[Mexican government]] regarded Subcomandante Marcos as a dangerous guerrilla, Appedole convinced the government that Guillén was a pacifist. Appedole's analysis is considered an early success in the application of forensic linguistics to criminal profiling in law enforcement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=243839|title=Marcos, en la mira de Zedillo - Proceso|date=5 August 2002|language=es|access-date=25 January 2018|archive-date=17 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017152025/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=243839|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://hemeroteca.proceso.com.mx/?page_id=278958&a51dc26366d99bb5fa29cea4747565fec=169802&rl=wh |title=Maestros y condiscípulos de Tampico recuerdan a Rafael Guillén |url-access=subscription |language=es |access-date=2018-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017150935/http://hemeroteca.proceso.com.mx/?page_id=278958&a51dc26366d99bb5fa29cea4747565fec=169802&rl=wh |archive-date=2013-10-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1998, [[Ted Kaczynski]] was identified as the "Unabomber" by means of forensic linguistics. The FBI and Attorney General [[Janet Reno]] pushed for the publication of an essay of Kaczynski's, which led to a tip-off from Kaczynski's brother, who recognized the writing style, his idiolect.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Lingua Franca|year=1998|pages=29–39|title=The Bard's fingerprints| last=Crain|first=Caleb|url= http://linguafranca.mirror.theinfo.org/9807/crain.html}}</ref>

In 1978, four men were convicted of murdering [[Carl Bridgewater]]. No forensic linguistics was involved in their case at the time. Today, forensic linguistics reflects that the idiolect used in the interview of one of the men was very similar to that man's reported statement. Since idiolects are unique to an individual, forensic linguistics reflects that it is very unlikely that one of these files was not created by using the other.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Coulthard|first=Malcolm|title=Author Identification, Idiolect, and Linguistic Uniqueness|url=https://publications.aston.ac.uk/id/eprint/1928/1/A_AppLing.art.final.doc|journal=Applied Linguistics|year= 2004|volume=25|issue=4|pages=431–447|doi=10.1093/applin/25.4.431}}</ref>