The lattice site distribution of boron in doped, melt-grown GaAs was studied by means of photoluminescence and local vibrational mode spectroscopy. The investigated samples were cut from nominally Si or Ge doped crystals grown under stoichiometric or Ga rich conditions. In GaAs : Si boron behaves like an amphoteric dopant. The formation of the antisite, B As , is favoured by the growth from a Ga rich melt. In Ge doped GaAs, on the other hand, only the isovalent boron defect, B Ga , was observed. Apart from infrared absorption spectra measured by the established Fourier transform technique the B As -related radiative recombination and the local Raman modes of the boron species are presented. These results demonstrate, that photoluminescence and near infrared Raman spectroscopy are viable tools for the detection of substitutionally incorporated boron in GaAs.