Legal English Research Articles

Grammatical distractors in CLIL-oriented tests on international legal english

The article addresses the use of grammatical distractors in planning, preparation and a conducting process of tests in legal English, and the analysis of their results. It also considers their potential for consolidating the most important skills of professional communication of future specialists. The formative nature of distractors finds its application in a number of specific tasks that contribute to the achievement of these important aims. Such aims include: maintaining of a positive attitude towards learning a foreign language, the ability to self-control during the act of speaking, increasing the level of motivation and educational autonomy. They also undermine the development of teamwork skills and its organization with minimal assistance, as well as the correct understanding of the role of the grammatical aspect in learning and the high value of grammatical correctness of speech, regardless of the degree of an individual’s fluency. Attempts have been made to classify grammatical distractors for learning convenience in the study room.

English language and the law – opportunities in the University

This short article gives the reader an insight into some of the methods used at our university to support students who wish to become more proficient in Legal English. It begins with an overview of its importance to the student, and provides some details of courses, their contents and other opportunities which are available free of charge to assist the acquisition of a major skill for the modern lawyer.

Study of law through language approach as adopted in teaching international lawyers at MGIMO-University

The article focuses on teaching English to international lawyers. The authors describe the approach developed and adopted in teaching legal English to international lawyers at MGIMO-University. Within the framework of this approach linguistics and jurisprudence become equivalent and equal factors in building a concise picture of the target subject — the system of the legal concepts and legal terminology of a foreign language. In the opinion of the authors this should be viewed as an important didactic goal of international lawyer training, i.e. training a professional who is not only able to fluently use foreign terminology, but, having thoroughly understood the respective extra lingual realia, contribute to a true dialogue of cultures vital to modern social interaction.

Проблема описания и развития дескриптивных умений студентов (на примере юридического английского языка)

Проблема описания и развития дескриптивных умений студентов (на примере юридического английского языка)

Evaluation of CLIL Approach in Legal English Pedagogy

This study aims at evaluating the efficiency of an integrated legal English course designed to meet the special needs of legal professionals (lawyers, solicitors, and barristers) at the Bar Association of lawyers in Lebanon. The experimental study involves two groups of legal professionals of intermediate English level; one experimental group taught legal English integrated with general academic English using the CLIL methodology, and one control group taught general Academic English (GAE) solely. The study contributes to the body of knowledge about CLIL in a legal context. The results of the study reveal that lawyers of the experimental group outperform those of the control group and are able to comprehend and produce highly professional legal texts. Lawyers’ perceptions towards the integration are highly positive, and the study proves that the CLIL approach quickens the pace of the acquisition of language skills and help lawyers reach a higher degree of language proficiency.

Teaching persuasiveness in legal English

Foreword This report describes an ESP teaching course in Legal English (LE) taught at the Faculty of Law at the University of Nis, Serbia, as a two-term obligatory course in a Bachelor’s programme or as an elective course at Master’s level. Its main objective is to empower law students with the professional linguistic skills to achieve persuasiveness and critical thinking required in a cross-cultural legal context. Although the report details the different steps of the course as well as asses...

Proper Names in the Legal Terminology of the English Language

The article deals with the problem of coining terms and nomenclature signs with proper names illustrated by the example of the English language legal terminology. The article begins with the discussion of the problems of intersection of two linguistic areas (those of terminology and onomastics) and differentiation between terms and nomenclature signs. It is observed that linguistic units with proper names possess a cultural specificity in the legal English as compared to the Russian terminological system of law. Linguistic and extra-linguistic factors influencing language units’ formation with the help of proper names in legal English, their structural and semantic specificity are revealed. The latter is considered from the point of view of the two-level semantics of language signs. The authors come to the following conclusions: (1) structural variability of the units under consideration especially strongly manifest in formation of legal nomenclature; (2) systemic linguistic oppositions of terms and nomenclature signs with proper names determine the semantics of these units; (3) the basis of the meaning of a term and a nomenclature sign is a notion, its essential components being included into the definitions; (4) differential semes of the meanings are assigned to the proper name elements of terms; (5) all semes of nomenclature signs with proper names constitute an inseparable whole and are not assigned to any specific elements of these units; (6) the meanings of nomenclature signs with proper names specify those of the terms in the hierarchical structure of the terminological system and in particular legal situations.

Improved understanding of meanings of modal verbs in Legal English and increased motivation through Computer Assisted Language Learning

This research explores the impact of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on the understanding of meanings of modal verbs in Legal English (mmvLE) and the level of motivation in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. The hypothesis is that the understanding of the mmvle and the level of motivation will be increased if esp students are allowed to choose call as a preferred learning environment. Based on a quasi-experiment, the control group received instruction in a conventional classroom (CC) (face-to-face instruction, white board and paper-based material) and the experimental group received instruction in a call environment (combination of face-to-face and online instruction, web-facilitated). Following the principles of a repeated measures research design, the participants’ understanding of the mmvLE was measured in four subsequent instances. The detailed quantitative and qualitative error analysis shows that the CALL group outperformed the CC group. The analysis of the participants’ answers to the additional questionnaire completed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment as well as the group discussion after the experiment confirmed that call positively affected the participants’ motivation toward the subject matter

Развитие коммуникативной компетенции студентов-юристов: профессионально-ориентированный аспект

The paper discusses the essence of the communicative competence and ways of its development in law students. Teaching and learning of a foreign language is presented in the context of developing the communicative competence as a combination of linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competences. The content and the structure of the course in English for Law Students are described. Sample assignments to improve the language skills for professional communication in Legal English are given.

Integrativni pristup učenju engleskog jezika pravne struke (teorijski okvir) - intradisciplinarni, multidisciplinarni, interdisciplinarni i transdisciplinarni aspekti

In English for Specific Purposes (ESP), Integrative Learning has been used in many contexts as a conceptual and structural framework for designing holistic and authentic learning experiences. This approach encompasses many intradisciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives. Given the prominent role of English for Legal Purposes (ELP) or Legal English (LE) in legal education, this article explores the theoretical framework of Integrative Learning approach to ELP/LE curriculum design for academic and professional purposes in tertiary education. The first part of the paper presents the conceptual framework of Integrative Learning in contemporary education, legal education and ESP/ELP instruction. The second part examines the conceptual framework and tenets of different (intra/multi/inter/transdisciplinary) approaches to curriculum design. The third part reviews the tenets of the integrated curriculum, as a structural framework for integration of these diverse perspectives, focusing on the major challenges and multidimensional alignments in ELP/LE course design. As integrative learning offers viable solutions for authentic learning in various academic/professional contexts, the paper aims to encourage cooperation in developing integrated law-andlanguage programs and promoting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary legal education.

Integrisan komunikativni pristup učenju engleskog jezika pravne struke (ELP/LE) - praktična primena u kontekstu intra/multi/inter/transdisciplinarnih integrativnih procesa

English for Legal Purposes (ELP) or Legal English (LE) is a prominent area of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), catering for the specific discourse community needs and purposes. This article presents the Integrated Communicative Learning (ICL) approach to instructional design within the curricular framework of ELP/LE courses for academic and professional purposes (LEAP/LEPP) in tertiary education. This holistic approach includes ample intradisciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary dimensions. The first part of this article presents the conceptual, structural and theoretical framework of this approach, and its many pedagogical and methodological functions. The second part outlines the structural framework of the three ELP/LE courses, the teaching/learning context,, and the rationale for selecting this approach. The third part focus the practical application of the ICL in these courses, with reference to examples of intra/multi/inter/transdisciplinary integration. Finally, the author discusses the benefits, challenges and considerations in implementing this approach, particularly in view of promoting authentic learning and inter/transdisciplinary legal education.

Some Specific Features Of Foreign Language Legal Concept Formation In Perception Of Law Students

In the process of studying a foreign language a student develops a conceptual view of the world similar to that of a native speaker’s. The structures of basic second language concepts formed in the process of education manifest certain differences from the concept structure in a native speaker’s perception. Similarities in the perception of a legal concept nucleus in the mind of a foreign language student and a native speaker play an essential role in legal communication, since inaccuracy of perception and misunderstanding may result in negative legal consequences. The authors believe it is important to make a point of associative-verbal networks which include different foreign language legal terms and are fixed in the minds of students who study legal English and the Anglo-American legal system. The purpose of the study is to reveal how well associative-verbal links and structures of legal concepts have been formed in the minds of law students, who study legal English and the Anglo-American legal system, as well as to examine the principles according to which associates get fixed in their minds. As a research method the authors applied a free associative experiment, since this is the easiest way to establish links between ideas and concepts in an individual’s mind.

Implementing manipulative strategies in legal speech

The article aims at exploring peculiar linguistic features of Legal English – a variety of thematically oriented language applied in the social domain. The focus is on the interaction of language and law and the linguistic maneuvering achieved by the manipulative strategies ap­plied to the use of language. The investigation is meant to show that linguistic manipulation may stimulate the occurrence of ambiguous expressions and double-speak even in legal documents, violating the basic function of law to communicate the truth and express clear-cut ideas. The research also reveals that the use of manipulative tools aimed to achieve practical ends is directly connected with domination and control over people’s perception and interpretation of objective facts. Of particular interest is the analysis of Turkishness (Turkish nation) in the legal texts of Article 301 of the Penal Code of Turkey (versions of 2005 and 2008) which, in fact is a dangerous challenge for the Turkish society, a real threat meant to endanger the fundamental right of humans to Freedom of Expression. The comparative-contrastive approach to the sources helps to reveal linguistic facts exposing the manipulative strategies implemented in the infamous Article 301 through which the Turkish political authorities try to exert a devious influence on the public and stifle dissenting opinion. The “amendments” introduced in the changed version of 2008 of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code had nothing to do with contextual improvements and were, in fact, an attempt to delude the European Union into believing that Turkish authorities had readily accepted its advice to amend the Article. The research establishes that the prevalence of politics over law is disastrous as it obviously leads to a covert resorting of manipulative strategies in legal speech and is meant to satisfy the best interests of those in power.

An Investigation of Morphological Productivity of Nominal and Verbal Compounds in Legal Discourse

Abstract Compounding is one of the most productive word-formation processes in contemporary Standard English. Hence, new patterns occur regularly. Productivity is one of the characteristic features of human language which implies the ability to create and understand new word forms by the speaker of a language. This was the starting point and motivation of this paper. The main aim of this paper was to investigate the morphological productivity of nominal and verb compounds in English as a foreign language in terms of the most productive and the least productive patterns of compounds in a written English corpus (consisted of 60073 words) by 75 students enrolled in undergraduate studies at the Law Faculty at SEEU. The quantitative measure used for the evaluation of the productivity of compounding patterns was according to hapax legomenon [P = n1 / N]. Findings from the empirical approach show that the most productive compounds in the analyzed corpus (professional /Legal English context) are verb compounds, followed by special noun compounds, whereas the least productive were noun compounds. The analysis of the corpus showed that morphological productivity in compounding increased in the writing of students with higher degree of competence and proficiency of English.

Towards a Conceptualization of Legal English as a Lingua Franca?

English is de facto reinforcing its role as the language of international legal communication. Indeed, while different national languages continue to play a crucial role in the definition, the execution, and the application of the law, English is increasingly employed by non-native legal professionals worldwide. Thus, this study focuses on the use of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in legal settings and aims to offer considerations towards the conceptualization of Legal English as a Lingua Franca (LELF).
 
 As English is considered a global asset in legal communication, it is argued that a finer problematization of LELF is imperative. In this respect, the study also discusses whether it is possible to apply the concept of a lingua franca to legal language tout court or whether the distinctive features of legal discourse across systems make the definition of LELF inapplicable from a conceptual perspective. 
 
 This article also offers a reflection on the main concerns which arise regarding the widespread use of English in legal settings, especially in the light of the specificities of different legal systems, legal cultures and communities of practice. Thus, all stakeholders involved should adopt a more reflexive approach in order to go beyond the unproblematic acceptance of LELF across legal settings and to be more aware of the implications and consequences that its usage entails.

Использование семантизации для пропедевтики лексических ошибок студентов при обучении юридическому английскому языку в вузе

Использование семантизации для пропедевтики лексических ошибок студентов при обучении юридическому английскому языку в вузе

Studies on the Legal Translation from the Perspective of Legal Pluralism

Legal pluralism has made certain theoretical development in the field of law, which has certain enlightenment on the concept and opinion of legal norms, legal system or order to the intercultural communication of legal culture. In addition to linguistics and translation field, the study of legal English should also make use of relevant legal theories to achieve beneficial interdisciplinary research. This paper focuses on the legal pluralism in the field of legal English and how to make innovative use of the theory. Facing the problems of "vacancy" and "dislocation" in Chinese legal translation, how to explore the nature of legal norms or the definition boundaries, and try to seek the enlightenment of the social system theory on legal translation.

Структурные особенности биграмм-коллокаций в международных юридических документах

Структурные особенности биграмм-коллокаций в международных юридических документах

Metaphoric Use of Denotations for Colours in the Language of Law

Abstract In many papers dealing with the stylistic features of legal texts, metaphor is highlighted as a stylistic figure often used in the language of law. On a daily basis we can witness the frequent use of metaphoric collocations like soft laws, hard laws, silent partner, hedge funds, etc. In this paper, the author analyses the use of denotations for colours as constituent parts of metaphoric collocations in the language of law. The analysis is conducted by using a comparative approach to examples extracted by means of computer technology from international bills and conventions available online. In the main part of the paper, examples are classified by using a colour denotation as the main criterion for the classification. After that, the examples are compared with corresponding expressions used in German and Croatian. Taking into account the main principle of the Skopos translation theory that differences between cultures strongly influence the translation process, the hypothesis of this research is that in many cases there will be no lexical equivalence between collocations with colour denotation in three languages. Due to the fact that international bills and conventions build the corpus of the research, and that the English language has become the lingua franca of international communication, it can be expected that some metaphoric terms and collocations would be literally translated from English. Conclusions drawn from the comparative analysis of legal collocations containing denotations for colours can be interesting to lawyers and LSP teachers in the field of law. In this sense, results of the research can contribute to motivational aspects of teaching Legal English and Legal German.

E-Learn Platform to Teach Legal English for Law Professionals

Globalization of trade and economy led to a growing demand all over the world for English for Specific Purposes courses. Conscious of this fact, Algeria has incorporated English for Legal Purposes teaching into tertiary studies. In Algeria, Law students receive ELP course aimed to help them in their studies and future careers. However, at the end of their learning process these students still find linguistic and communication difficulties in situations where English is needed as the course received is no more than teaching specific words and phrases and translating some texts following the traditional Grammar Translation Method. Accordingly, this paper aims to presents the current ELP course situation and to measure students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards the use of Blended ELP course based on Content Language Integrated Learning model. The course has twofold: to provide students with international legal knowledge and to compare them to the Algerian one, and to expose learners to intensive reading activities and overcome lack of teaching time activities. In this quantitative study, seven teachers were interviewed and fifty seven masters’ students were questioned. The results revealed that the students have comprehension difficulties because the time load for reading activities is not sufficient. Concerning informants readiness to use Blended approach, the teachers present negatively the usefulness of such an approach for their students; on the contrary, students show a positive attitude to have additional English reading comprehension activities online, and they demonstrate a high interest to the proposal to support their English course with extra home tasks.