Theoretical linguistics pushing for changes in criminal justice procedures across countries

Part of the SOAS Linguistics Research Seminar Series 2025-26

Speaker: Prof María J. Arche (Professor of Linguistics, University of Greenwich)

Abstract

In this talk, María Arche presents a research agenda on language needs that calls for closer connection across areas of study and the sectors of language health, education and justice. 

Focusing on the central role of linguistic analysis in identifying language needs, María presents two related collaborative projects. 

• The first is the overarching project Think Language First. This project includes the ATLAS-Leiden Manifesto, which was written to raise awareness among researchers, professionals, and policy makers about the importance of language development in school-age children.
• The second project is the EU COST Action Justice to Youth Language Needs: Human Rights Undermined by an Invisible Disadvantage (Y-JustLang). This initiative brings together experts from across disciplines and sectors, including linguistics, speech and language therapy, criminology, social services, judges, lawyers, and police. Its aim is to address the language needs of young people who are in contact with the law.

Speaker

María Arche is a Professor of Linguistics who studies grammar and its development. She is a syntactician and has created initiatives to increase the understanding of language difficulties across populations. Outcomes of this work include the ATLAS Manifesto “Think Language First”, launched at the House of Lords in January 2024 in partnership with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy. 

María is the Chair of the transnational EU COST Action “Justice to Youth Language Needs”, which comprises linguists, speech and language therapists, as well as legal, health, youth justice professionals and people with lived experience in the system from over 30 countries.

Image: Mathias Reding (Unsplash)