Legal Language

Definition

0 ‘’Legal language is the type of language used by lawyers and other legal professionals in the course of their work’’.

0First of all, Spoken language is just as indispensable to the legal process. The legal implications of language continue to extend far beyond the courtroom – to interactions between police and suspects, to conversations between lawyers and their clients, etc. A little reflection is enough to notice how essential language is to the legal enterprise.

0To know how this ‘special dialect’ came about and how it differs from ‘ordinary English’, researchers have turned to the language of the law as a linguistic phenomenon in its own right.

0 In fact, one of the first scholarly publications about law and language was David Mellinkoff’s monumental work, The Language of the Law, published in 1963.

ExampleControlling LawStatutory Law New Columbia Code § 22-2401. Murder in the first degree - Purposeful killing;Whoever, being of sound memory and discretion, kills another purposely, either of deliberate and

premeditated malice or by means of poison...is guilty of murder in the first degree.New Columbia Code § 22-2403. Murder in the second degree.(a)  Whoever with malice aforethought, except as provided in Sec. 22-2401, kills another, is guilty

of murder in the second degree. (b)  In the District of Columbia, second degree murder is a lesser included offense of first degree

murder, and under an indictment charging first degree murder, the defendant may be found guilty of the necessarily included offense of second degree murder.

Punishment New Columbia Code § 22-2404. Penalty for murder in first and second degrees.(a) A person convicted of murder in the first degree shall be sentenced to a minimum of 30 years

from the date of the commencement of the sentence.(b) Whoever is guilty of murder in the second degree shall be sentenced to a period of

incarceration of not more than life, except that the court may impose a prison sentence in excess of 40 years only in accordance with § 24-203.1(b-2).

_____________________Developed by Georgetown University Law Center, D.C. Street Law Clinic page 5New Columbia Code § 22-2405. Penalty for manslaughter.Whoever is guilty of manslaughter

shall be sentenced to a period of imprisonment not exceeding 30 years.

0We can find a lot of legal terms in this example such as Murder in the first degree. When someone is accused of murder in first degree it means that he or she kills another purposely, either of deliberate and premeditated malice or by means of poison.

0 If we look closely we can see that there’s a special code when you refer to a specific law. You must use a key symbol, similar to a G key on music. For example, New Columbia Code § 22-2401.

0New Columbia Code § 22-2403. Murder in the second degree.

0 (a)  Whoever with malice aforethought, except as provided in Sec. 22-2401, kills another, is guilty of murder in the second degree.

Technical Words

0Manslaughter: The unlawful killing of one human by another without express or implied intent to do injury.

0Legislature: An officially elected or otherwise selected body of people vested with the responsibility and power to make laws for a political unit, such as a state or nation.

0Prosecution Attorney: A lawyer empowered to prosecute cases on behalf of a government and its people. Also called prosecution, prosecutor.

Example L1Comparece:Don RODRIGO SANCHEZ MONTENEGRO, Rut: Nº 13.465.194-6, Soltero, ingeniero civil, domiciliado en

…….., mayor de edad, acredita su identidad con la cédula personal antes citada, que exhibe, declara pertenecerle y expone:

PRIMERO: Don RODRIGO SANCHEZ MONTENEGRO, ya individualizado, es dueño de un inmueble ubicado en calle Los Nogales número cuatrocientos veinte, Comuna de San Esteban, Provincia de Los Andes, que corresponde al LOTE SEIS, del conjunto Habitacional “Parque Residencial Jardín de Los Olivos”, individualizado en el plano protocolizado bajo el Nº 615 al final del Registro de Propiedad del año 2009 en el Conservador de Bienes Raíces de Los Andes, de una superficie aproximada de trescientos treinta coma cero nueve metros cuadrados, y deslinda: al NORTE, con calle Los Olivos en veintiocho coma cero un metros; al SUR, con Lote Cinco en veinte coma cuarenta y cinco metros, y en siete coma cincuenta metros con calle Los Nogales; al ORIENTE, con Lote Siete, en diez coma ochenta y nueve metros; y al PONIENTE, con Avenida Alessandri en doce coma setenta y tres metros.- Lo adquirió por compra a la sociedad Inmobiliaria e Inversiones Puerta del Sol Limitada, según escritura pública de 23 de octubre del 2009, otorgada ante la Notario Público de Los Andes, Marta Rivas Schulz, repertorio número 2352. El dominio a nombre de don RODRIGO SANCHEZ MONTENEGRO se encuentra inscrito a fojas 1608 vuelta número 2372 en el Registro de Propiedad del año 2009 en el Conservador de Bienes Raíces antes indicado. Rol de Avalúo del inmueble es el 17-165 de la Comuna de San Esteban.

Technical Words

0Comparecer: wich means Submitted to an authority or other person.

0Rol de Avalúo: Number by which the SII identifies a property or real estate, which is unique to each municipality .

0Notario Público: is an attorney whose involvement in various legal acts have legal security assurance for all those parties involved.

Common words used in Legal Language0 Indictment: A written statement charging a party with the

commission of a crime or other offense, drawn up by a prosecuting attorney and found and presented by a grand jury.

0 Stuatory Law: Is written law set down by a legislature or legislator.

0 Incarceration: A person who is deprived of liberty and is sent to jail.

0 Sentenced: A court judgment, especially a judicial decision of the punishment to be inflicted on one adjudged guilty

0 Deslindes: Bookmark and distinguish the terms of a state or possession.

0 Fojas: Sheet of paper, especially of an official document.

General Summary

0The Language of the Law, published in 1963, nearly two decades before linguists would turn to legal language. Written by David Mellinkoff’s.

0 It is full of 6 wordiness, redundancy, and specialized vocabulary and it often contains lengthy, complex, and unusual sentence structure.

Extract 1 summary

0 This example is an extract of a mock trail titled:” United States vs Dominique Stephens”.

a) Controlling laws, which are the laws of the state which will be relied upon in interpreting or judging disputes involving a contract, trust or other documents.

b) Legal language is very short and clear. They don’t use connectives too much, they prefer to use bullet points when they have to specify something.

c) When someone is accused of murder in first degree it means that he or she kills another purposely, either of deliberate and premeditated malice or by means of poison.

Extract L1 summary

0Similarity between code and language between the extracts. The extract corresponds to a deed, which is a legal document that is signed and delivered, especially one regarding the ownership of property or legal rights.

Thanks for reading and listening!