Have you ever seen a court case and heard something about the law you didn't understand?
The legal language has their own field specific lexis such as; the legal lexis, this is words with technical meaning. For example: acquittal, this means the discharge of a defendant following verdict or direction of not guilty. Lawyers still use historical lexis. This can be traced back to the Anglo Saxons, they thought of the phrase 'the truth, the whole truth nothing but the truth.' We used to speak the same language as lawyers so you could say it's strange how we don't understand their confusing and complicated words!
Our English British has been mixed with other language such as Latin and French. Lawyers still use Latin phrases today because it gives lawyers that sense of authority as Latin language is more morphemically complex. They use phrases such as; actus reus, which means a guilty act and animus revetendi, this means with intention to return. They also use French and most people would of heard these words. They are words like sentence, jury, court and defendant. The law French originates from Latin. Lawyers still use the law French today as French is seemed higher class and descriptive. For example; parliament comes from the old French word 'parlement' and that means 'speaking, talk.'
The legal language is based around a lot of interrogative words. These are; who, what, where, why and when. This is because lawyers are always asking questions to find out what the clients claim is. Lawyers are trying to find the information they need to help defend their clients case therefore the 5 W's are used.
Lawyers language is also based around the use of metaphors. This is because it's their use of persuasion in court as the thing they are talking about is something specific. This is shown in Woolington V Director of Public prosecution.
By Megan West
Source: www.languageandlaw.org/NATURE.HTM
The legal language has their own field specific lexis such as; the legal lexis, this is words with technical meaning. For example: acquittal, this means the discharge of a defendant following verdict or direction of not guilty. Lawyers still use historical lexis. This can be traced back to the Anglo Saxons, they thought of the phrase 'the truth, the whole truth nothing but the truth.' We used to speak the same language as lawyers so you could say it's strange how we don't understand their confusing and complicated words!
Our English British has been mixed with other language such as Latin and French. Lawyers still use Latin phrases today because it gives lawyers that sense of authority as Latin language is more morphemically complex. They use phrases such as; actus reus, which means a guilty act and animus revetendi, this means with intention to return. They also use French and most people would of heard these words. They are words like sentence, jury, court and defendant. The law French originates from Latin. Lawyers still use the law French today as French is seemed higher class and descriptive. For example; parliament comes from the old French word 'parlement' and that means 'speaking, talk.'
The legal language is based around a lot of interrogative words. These are; who, what, where, why and when. This is because lawyers are always asking questions to find out what the clients claim is. Lawyers are trying to find the information they need to help defend their clients case therefore the 5 W's are used.
Lawyers language is also based around the use of metaphors. This is because it's their use of persuasion in court as the thing they are talking about is something specific. This is shown in Woolington V Director of Public prosecution.
By Megan West
Source: www.languageandlaw.org/NATURE.HTM
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