In 1469, Margaret Paston wrote an urgent letter about violent men harming her tenants' livelihoods, yet she could not write herself, relying entirely on male scribes who might alter her voice. The article discusses how forensic linguistics has been employed to analyze these letters—comprising extensive correspondence from the Paston family—revealing when Margaret's authentic voice is evident versus when scribes influenced the language. This investigation highlights Medieval literacy challenges and the importance of understanding historical women's agency in their communications.
"In the winter of 1469, Margaret Paston dictated an urgent letter to her son about violent men destroying her tenants' crops."
"Five centuries later, I've used forensic linguistics to detect these subtle manipulations, uncovering fascinating patterns that reveal when Margaret's authentic voice breaks through versus when scribes imposed their own linguistic biases."
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