Full Description
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.
Sections A, B, and C of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315436258
Contents
A Introduction: Key Concepts1 What Kind of Variety is 'Legal Language'?
2 The Historical Development of Legal English
3 Legal Genres
4 Participant Roles and Speech Styles in the Courtroom
5 Persuasion in Court
6 Interpreting Meaning in Legislative Texts
7 The Vocabulary of Legal Power
8 Legal Protection and Regulation of Language
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 Texts
4 Spoken Discourse 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 Linguistic Challenges in Bilingual and Multilingual Legal Order
C Exploration: Analyses and Examples
1 Attitudes towards Legal Language
2 Reforming Legal Language
3 Reading a Statute
4 Style and Restrictions in Courtroom Interaction
5 Rhetorical Techniques in Legal Advocacy
6 Deciding Legal Meaning
7 Performatives in Speech and Writing
8 Misleading Language in Adverts
9 Language Data as Evidence
10 Same Law, Different Texts
D Extension: Engaging with the Scholarship
1 Law as a Profession of Words
2 Public Understanding of Legal Language
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
