SPEECH GENRE OF SEXTING IN FORENSIC LINGUISTICS ANALYSIS APPLICABLE TO SEX CRIMES INVESTIGATION

Abstract

The paper describes sexting (sending, receiving and forwarding sexually explicit text messages or photos electronically) as a speech genre and an instrument of criminal offence known as “online grooming”. This is a special course of regular conduct enacted by a paedophile with the purpose of searching for his victims on the Internet. The author of the paper synthesized the methodical results of the forensic linguistic analysis of the social network users’ speech behaviour for describing the structure and peculiarities of sexting and the speech act of persuading a minor into engaging in unwanted sexual activity through domination strategy and emotional manipulation. Thus the methods of forensic linguistics in sex crimes investigation are offered.

Keywords

• speech genre, speech behavior, online grooming, sexting, speech act of persuading a minor into engaging in an unwanted sexual activity, forensic linguistics