History and Current State of the Plain English Concept in Legal Linguistics in English-Speaking Countries

Abstract

The article deals with the history and current state of the Plain English concept. The material presented in the article has theoretical and practical value for the development of relevant areas of research related to the Russian language. The subject under discussion is the history and theoretical provisions of the concept of Plain English, as well as an analysis of the potential for the development of the Plain Language concept in future.
 The objectives of the study include investigation into the premises and origin of the Plain English concept from both perspectives – legal linguistics and other related fields – as well as the study of the linguistic content of this concept in the paradigm of contemporary research.
 The article considers the interrelation between the concepts of Forensic Linguistics, Legal Linguistics, and Judicial Linguistics in American, European, and Russian linguistics, respectively. The authors reveal linguistic and extra-linguistic prerequisites for the formation of the Plain language concept in the USA and European countries in the 20th century. They describe language means of adapting legal texts into plain language texts listed in the analyzed Plain English handbooks and consider some prospects for the development of the concept in the future.