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What is legal language and where is it found? What does a forensic linguist do? How can linguistic skills help legal professionals?
We are constantly surrounded by legal language, but sometimes it is almost impossible to understand. Providing extracts from real-life legal cases, this highly usable and accessible textbook brims with helpful examples and activities that will help you to navigate this area.
Language and Law:
. introduces useful linguistic concepts and tools
. outlines the methods linguists employ to analyse legal language and language in legal situations
. includes topics on such as: written legal language; threats, warnings and speech act theory; courtroom interactions and the work linguists do to help solve crimes; physical and 'spoken' signs; and the creativity of legal language
List of contents
Introduction
1. Finding the Language
2. The Language of Law
3. Don't Do it!
4. That's Not What I Meant
5. The Trials of Language
6. Different Language Different Rules
7. The CSI Effect?
8. The Pen is Mighty
9. Once Upon a Time
10. Signs in Time and Space
Coda
References
Index.
About the author
Annabelle Mooney is a Reader in Sociolinguistics, Department of Media, Culture and Language at the University of Roehampton, UK. Her research concerns language and the law, and she is currently working on human rights.
Summary
What is legal language and where is it found? What does a forensic linguist do? How can linguistic skills help legal professionals?
We are constantly surrounded by legal language, but sometimes it is almost impossible to understand. Providing extracts from real-life legal cases, this highly usable and accessible textbook brims with helpful examples and activities that will help you to navigate this area.
Language and Law:
- Introduces useful linguistic concepts and tools
- Outlines the methods linguists employ to analyse legal language and language in legal situations
- Includes topics on such as: written legal language; threats, warnings and speech act theory; courtroom interactions and the work linguists do to help solve crimes; physical and 'spoken' signs; and the creativity of legal language
