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Comparative legal linguistics [electronic resource] / Heikki E.S. Mattila ; translated by Christopher Goddard.

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Author/Creator:
Mattila, Heikki E. S.
Language:
English
Imprint:
Aldershot, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate, c2006.
Format:
  • Book
  • xv, 347 p. ; 25 cm.
Bibliography:
Includes bibliographical references (p. [269]-304) and index.
Contents:
  • General Introduction: Legal language and legal linguistics-- The concept of legal language-- Genres of legal language-- Legal linguistics as a discipline-- The importance of legal linguistic knowledge-- Structure and content of this book. Legal Language as a Language for Special Purposes: Functions of Legal Language: Importance of the theory of communication-- Achieving justice-- Transmission of legal messages-- Strengthening the authority of the law-- Strengthening lawyers' team spirit-- Linguistic policy-- The cultural task of legal language. Characteristics of Legal Language: Precision-- Information (over)load-- Universality and aloofness-- Systemic character-- Structure and formalism in legal texts-- Frequency of initializations and acronyms-- Sentence complexity and diversity of language elements-- Archaism and solemnity-- Proper use of legal language. Legal Terminology: Legal concepts-- Characteristics of legal terminology-- Formation of legal terminology. The Major Legal Languages: The Heritage of Legal Latin-- The importance of Roman law-- History of legal Latin-- Latin in modern legal languages-- The communication value of legal Latin-- Dictionaries of legal Latin. Legal German: History of legal German-- Characteristics of legal German-- International importance of legal German. Legal French: History of legal French-- Characteristics of legal French-- International position today. Legal English: The common law system-- Development of legal English-- Characteristics of legal English-- Legal English as a global language. Conclusion: Changes in legal-linguistic dominance in the international arena-- Terminological interaction between legal languages-- Problems of lexical comprehension-- The need for jurilinguistic research on legal institutions and concepts-- Foreign terms and other expressions-- Index.
  • (source: Nielsen Book Data)
Publisher's Summary:
The language of law reflects the overlapping, competing and co-existing nature of legal discourse; its form both the product of its linguistic history and a response to the fluidity of legal culture. This book examines legal language as a language for special purposes, evaluating the functions and characteristics of legal language and the terminology of law. Using examples drawn from major and lesser legal languages, it examines the major legal languages themselves, beginning with Latin through German, French and English. Each chapter includes an historical overview of the growth of the language, its international use, its coherence in the various countries using it and its relationship to cognate legal languages. Where relevant, the characteristics of legal cultures are described to explain the features of the legal language. The work will be a valuable resource for students, researchers and practitioners in the areas of comparative law, legal theory, semiotics, and linguistics.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)
Reproduction:
Electronic reproduction. Palo Alto, Calif. : ebrary, 2009. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ebrary affiliated libraries.
Contributor:
ebrary, Inc.
Subjects:
ISBN:
9780754680390
0754680398

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