After 25 years of watching CSI and its spinoffs, we like to think there’s at least one of you out there who showed up to a high school forensics club meeting, excited to learn how to dust for fingerprints and collect DNA samples.
Of course, we’re sure you were just as excited to discover the club’s true purpose—public speaking and debate. But if you weren’t into that, you might’ve wished there was a clearer distinction between the two types of forensics. Our listener Olivia Pratt agrees:
"What is the relation between forensic science, as in [the television show] CSI Miami, and high school forensics club, where kids learn the ins and outs of public speaking? It seems strange that we have one word to describe two very different things," Pratt said.
Pratt’s question is a good one. However, a look into history reveals that the two forms of forensics might not be as unrelated as they seem. The word “forensics” comes from Latin, meaning “related to the forum or law courts.” When it came into English in the 1500s, it meant "related to law or legal proceedings," but it could also mean that something was characteristic of the kind of persuasive oratory used in advocating in a court of law.
By 1741 "forensics" could also refer to competitive debate and public speaking. By 1844 in the United States, it could refer to both persuasive oratory or rhetoric in courts as well as competitive debate and public speaking, especially as practiced in colleges and high schools.
To hear more about "forensics," listen to the audio above. Next week, we’ll dive into the fascinating field of forensic linguistics. Yes, that’s a real thing!
