Voor wie de auteur wil vinden
In Search of an Author

Summary/Abstract: This article reports on the search for the author of the textbook titled Voor wie Nederlands wil leren [For those who want to learn Dutch]. The article presents as literary fiction with some elements of scientific data in the field of forensic linguistics. The aim was to create a psycholinguistic profile of the author and to show how fascinating it is to study a linguistic fingerprint. When identifying the author of a written text, the expert looks for characteristic linguistic features, analysing lexical, syntactic and grammatical elements, as well as linguistic errors. At the same time, particular attention is paid to the specific vocabulary used by the author of the text (e.g. neologisms, archaisms, borrowings, dialectisms) as well as to stylistic devices (e.g. metaphors, paradoxes, hyperboles). These elements form the so-called idiolect, i.e. the specific language of the individual. Each person uses their own specific and characteristic language, which reflects their education, life experiences, profession or age. Based on an analysis of the linguistic properties of the text, and taking into account psychological knowledge, attempts can also be made to draw conclusions about the emotions experienced by the author. A detailed study of the text on a linguistic, content and psychological level enables the drawing of a psycholinguistic portrait of the presumed author.

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