Language plays an essential role both in creating law and in governing its implementation. Providing an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this subject, Language and Law:
• describes the different registers and genres that make up spoken and written legal language and how they develop over time;
• analyses real-life examples drawn from court cases from different parts of the world, illustrating the varieties of English used in the courtroom by speakers occupying different roles;
• addresses the challenges presented to our notions of law and regulation by online communication;
• discusses the complex role of translation in bilingual and multilingual jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and Canada; and
• provides readings from key scholars in the discipline, including Lawrence Solan, Peter Goodrich, Marianne Constable, David Mellinkoff, and Chris Heffer.
With a wide range of activities throughout, this accessible textbook is essential reading for anyone studying language and law or forensic linguistics.
Author(s): Alan Durant, Janny HC Leung
Series: Routledge English Language Introductions
Edition: 1
Publisher: Routledge | Taylor & Francis
Year: 2016
Language: English
Commentary: TruePDF
Pages: 259
Tags: Law: Language; Semantics (Law)
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Contents Cross-Referenced
Acknowledgements
A Introduction: Key Concepts
1 ‘Legal Language’ as a Linguistic Variety
2 Historical Development of Legal English
3 Legal Genres
4 Participant Roles and Speech Styles
5 Persuasion in Court
6 Interpreting Legislative Texts
7 The Vocabulary of Legal Power
8 Regulation of Language Use
9 Forensic Evidence
10 Legal Order and Linguistic Diversity
B Development: Contemporary Approaches
1 Linguistic Features of Legal Language
2 Functions of Legal Language
3 Genre Analysis of Legal Discourse
4 Speech in the Courtroom
5 Linguistic Strategies Used by Lawyers
6 Pragmatics and Legal Interpretation
7 Legal Speech Acts
8 Disputing ‘Ordinary Language’
9 Techniques in Forensic Linguistics
10 Bilingual and Multilingual Legal Systems
C Exploration: Analyses and Examples
1 Perception of Legal Language
2 Reforming Legal Language
3 Reading a Statute
4 Restricted Verbal Interaction in Court
5 Techniques in Legal Advocacy
6 Deciding Legal Meaning
7 Spoken and Written Performatives
8 Misleading Language in Adverts
9 Language Data as Evidence
10 Same Law, Different Texts
D Extension: Engaging with Published Scholarship
1 Law as a Profession of Words
2 Making Legal Language Comprehensible
3 The Language of Jury Trial
4 Courtroom Language: Theory and Practice
5 Talking the Language of Lawyers
6 Perspectives on Legal Interpretation
7 Understanding Legal Speech Acts and Rules
8 Language Struggles Online
9 Resolving Disputed Meaning in Court
10 Bilingualism and Jury Service
Further Reading and Resources
References
Cases Cited
Glossarial Index
