Meaning and Power in the Language of Law
Published on 18. January 2018
Book
Hardback
342 pages
978-1-107-11284-1 (ISBN)
Description
Legal practitioners, linguists, anthropologists, philosophers and others have all explored fundamental challenges presented by language in formulating, interpreting and applying laws. Building on centuries of interaction between legal practice and jurisprudence, the modern field of 'law and language', or 'forensic linguistics', brings insights in linguistics and related fields to bear on topics including legal drafting and translation, statutory interpretation, expert evidence on language use and dynamics of courtroom interaction. This volume presents an interlocking series of research studies engaged with different legal jurisdictions and socio-political contexts as well as with the more abstract notion of 'law'. Together the chapters, written by international leaders in their fields, highlight recent directions in research and investigate in particular how law expresses yet also conceals power relations in its crafted use of words and in the gaps and silence between those words.
Reviews / Votes
'The editors of this book have put together a collection of articles discussing the unsaid in law, which is broad in scope and wide-ranging in theoretical backgrounds, making it a must for all those interested in the language of the law, and its implications.' Dennis Kurzon, University of Haifa, Israel '... a worthwhile book. Several chapters deploy linguistics to shed light on legal problems in a way that could potentially be of real benefit to the law.' Geoffrey Sampson, LINGUIST List '... I see this as a worthwhile book. Several chapters deploy linguistics to shed light on legal problems in a way that could potentially be of real benefit to the law ...' Geoffrey Sampson, The LINGUIST ListMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
19 Tables, black and white; 18 Halftones, black and white; 4 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
667 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-107-11284-1 (9781107112841)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Janny H. C. Leung | Alan Durant
Meaning and Power in the Language of Law
Book
09/2020
Cambridge University Press
€44.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
Janny H. C. Leung
Meaning and Power in the Language of Law
E-Book
01/2018
Cambridge University Press
€25.49
Available for download
Janny H. C. Leung | Alan Durant
Meaning and Power in the Language of Law
E-Book
12/2017
Cambridge University Press
€100.99
Available for download
Persons
Janny H. C. Leung is Associate Professor of English at the University of Hong Kong. Her main research interest lies in interdisciplinary work between language and law, with a particular focus on bilingual and multilingual jurisdictions. Her recent books include Language and Law: A Resource Book for Students (2016), co-authored with Alan Durant, and a forthcoming monograph on multilingual jurisdictions. Alan Durant is Professor of Communication in the School of Law at Middlesex University, London. His recent books include Language and Law: A Resource Book for Students (2016), co-authored with Janny H. C. Leung, Language and Media: A Resource Book for Students (2009), co-authored with Marina Lambrou, and Meaning in the Media: Discourse, Controversy and Debate (Cambridge, 2010).
Content
Editors' Introduction Janny H. C. Leung and Alan Durant; Part I. Sui generis or Socially Problematic: The Character of Legal Language: 1. The unspoken language of the law Laura Nader; 2. Seeing sense: the complexity of key words that tell us what law is Alan Durant; 3. Hiding in plain sight: the category of ordinary language and the case law domain of transgender marriage Christopher Hutton; Part II. Imperfect Fit between Legal Categories and Social Discourse: 4. Effects of translation on the invisible power wielded by language in the legal sphere: the case of Nepal Katsuo Nawa; 5. The language of film and the representation of legal subjectivity in Juno Mak's Rigor Mortis Marco Wan; Part III. Written in Silence: Hidden Social Meanings in Legal Discourse: 6. Let the fingers do the talking: language, gesture and power in closing argument Greg Matoesian and Kristin Enola Gilbert; 7. Questions about questioning: courtroom practice in China and the USA Meizhen Liao; 8. Law, language and community sentiment: behind hate speech doctrine in India Siddharth Narrain; Part IV. Conflict between Linguistic and Legal ideologies: 9. When voices fail to carry: voice projection and the case of the 'dumb' jury Chris Heffer; 10. Ideology and political meaning in legal translation Janny H. C. Leung; Part V. Demands of Law and Limits of Language: 11. Law and the grammar of judgment Janet Ainsworth; 12. Legal indeterminacy in the spoken word Lawrence M. Solan and Silvia Dahmen; Afterword: 13. The said of the unsaid Peter Goodrich.