Word Meaning and Legal Interpretation - An Introductory Guide

This book introduces ideas about word meaning in the context of law. It analyzes cases from common law jurisdictions that concern the meaning, definition and legal status of individual words, labels and categories. The focus is on the question of how law assigns authority over word meaning in different circumstances and in different domains of law.>

List of contents

Note on Conventions
 Introduction: Scope and Aims of the Book
 PART I: MEANING AND INTERPRETATION
 1. Linguistic Meaning
 2. Word Meaning and Interpretation in the Law
 3. Ordinary Language and Legal Language
 PART II: CASE STUDIES
 4. Classification and Legislative Intent
 5. Characterizing an Event
 6. The Classification of Mundane Objects I: Food Items in United Kingdom Tax Law
 7. The Classification of Mundane Objects II: Cases from the United States
 8. Technological Change and Legal Categories
 9. Lawful and Unlawful Searches
 10. Colonial Encounters: What is a Sacred Object?
 11. Defining Identity I: Job or Profession
 12. Defining Identity II: Nation, People and Race
 13. Defining Identity III: Transgender Identities
 14. Defining Identity IV: Corporate Personhood
 PART III: CONCLUDING DISCUSSION
 15. Word Meaning and Interpretative Authority
 Abbreviations
 References
 Cases Cited.

About the author

Christopher Hutton is Chair Professor in the School of English at the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Product details

• Authors: Christopher Hutton, Christopher Mark Hutton
• Publisher: Macmillan
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 28.02.2014
• EAN: 9781137016140
• ISBN: 978-1-137-01614-0
• No. of pages: 260
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Other languages / Other literatures; Social sciences, law, business > Law > General, dictionaries; B, LAW / Jurisprudence, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Applied Linguistics, Semantics, discourse analysis, stylistics, Jurisprudence and general issues