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The charm of legal English: Why is this language so unique and fascinating?
In today's globalized world, Legal English is not only a tool for legal professionals, but has also become a common language for international business, diplomacy, and communication across multiple legal systems. This special form of language not only contributes to the accuracy of legal provisions, but also attracts the attention of scholars and legal practitioners due to its complex and changeable structure. What characteristics give legal English such uniqueness?
Legal English is significantly different from everyday spoken English due to its professional vocabulary and specific grammatical structure.
Legal English, or legal jargon, is known for its unique linguistic features. These features include the use of technical terms, specific grammatical structures, and fixed phrases like “legal double words.” Its roots can be traced back to the common law tradition of English-speaking countries, and it has deep roots in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other places. However, with the development of international business, legal English has gradually become a global language.
Historical evolution of legal English
The form of legal English is not static; it has undergone many developments and changes. In the earliest days of England, legal discussions often used the local spoken language. With the Roman rule over Britain, Latin became the main legal language. Later, with the Norman invasion, French became the official language of English legal proceedings. It was not until the English Law Act of 1362 that English was officially used, which gradually formed the basis of modern legal English.
This evolution of legal language not only reflects a country's historical changes, but also affects how the law itself is viewed.
Style Features of Legal English
Legal English has a very particular style, which makes it more formal and expressive than regular English. The language in legal documents often uses double-words that blend multiple languages, such as "break and enter" or "fit and proper." This usage was originally intended to resolve ambiguity in multiple languages, but nowadays double words are often used simply for linguistic emphasis and elegance.
One of the characteristics of legal English is that it often involves similes and metaphors in terms, making the language both mysterious and attractive.
Key Features of Legal English
The characteristics of legal English provide rich connotations for its application. Here are some key points:
Use of terminology: Legal English is full of technical terms that are often unfamiliar to ordinary people, such as "waiver of rights" and "trade restraint".Lack of punctuation: In the early days of legal writing, punctuation was often omitted, which was believed to be because the legal meaning had to be expressed in the words themselves.Use of double and triple words: Legal English often strings together concepts such as "ineffective and powerless" or "proper and compliant".Unusual word order: Legal language uses word order that differs significantly from everyday speech, e.g., "will immediately comply with the terms at the borrower's expense."Professional pronouns: Terms such as "the client" are often used to avoid repetition of nouns.
Education and the Future of Legal English
With the increasing importance of Legal English in the international business and legal fields, many non-native legal practitioners and law students have begun to seek specialized Legal English training. This special training is not limited to the learning of legal terminology, but also includes how to effectively use this complex language in legal documents and oral presentations.
The UK TOLES exam is designed for non-native English speakers to improve their legal English skills.
With the advancement of legal English education, can the future legal profession adapt to the ever-changing language needs and thus improve the accuracy and effectiveness of legal practice?
