Language Analysis for the Determination of Origin (LADO) is an instrument used in asylum-seeking cases to determine the area or ethnic origin of the asylum seeker, through an evaluation of the language profile and accent of the asylum seeker. To this end, an interview with the asylum seeker is recorded and analysed. The analysis consists of an examination of the dialectologically relevant features in the speech of the asylum seeker.
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Since the mid-1990s, language analysis has been used to help determine the geographical origin of asylum seekers by the governments of a growing number of countries (Reath, 2004), now including Australia, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland. Pilots have been conducted by the UK, which legitimised the process in 2003, and Ireland.
In the Netherlands LADO is done by the Dutch Immigration Service (IND) and by De Taalstudio, a private company that provides language analysis and contra-expertises in LADO cases. Language analysis is used by the Dutch Immigration Service, in cases where asylum seekers cannot produce valid identification documents, and, in addition, the IND sees reason to doubt the claimed origin of the asylum seeker. The IND has a specialised unit – BLT – that carries out these analyses. BLT is short for Bureau Land en Taal (in English: Office for Country Information and Language Analysis).
Sprakab is a private company based in Sweden that does LADO. Sprakab is commissioned by the Swedish Police Service as well as the Swedish Migration Board and other police authorities from other countries. Sprakab has carried out language analyses for the UK border Agency and for the Dutch Immigrant Service. In Switzerland language analysis is carried out by LINGUA, a specialized unit of the Federal Office for Migration.
Language analysis is done by language experts. Two basic types of experts can be distinguished: trained native speakers of the language under analysis and professional linguists specialized in the language under analysis. Usually native speaker analysts are under the supervision of a linguist.
Whether language analysis should be carried out by trained native speakers under supervision of a linguist, or whether this should be done by professional linguists, has been a subject of debate. Eades et al. (2003) note that "people who have studied linguistics to professional levels [...] have particular knowledge which is not available to either ordinary speakers or specialists in other disciplines". Likewise Dikker and Verrips (2004) conclude that native speakers who lack any training in linguistics are not able to formulate reliable conclusions regarding the origin of other speakers of their language.
The use of language analysis in asylum procedures has been heavily criticized by many linguists (e.g., Eades e.a., 2003; Arends, 2003).
Following an item Dutch public radio programme Argos, member of parlement De Wit of the Socialist Party presented a number of questions to the State Secretary of the Minister of Justice regarding the reliability of LADO. The questions and the responses by the State Secretary can be found here.