Linguistic Features of Legal Texts

• Published in: Ûrislingvistika no. 34 (45); pp. 20 - 25
• Main Author: Zorina, Elena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 27.12.2024
• ISSN: 2587-9332; 2587-9332
• DOI: 10.14258/leglin(2024)3402

The article concerns the study of universal professional-specific parameters for writing legal texts. The author notes that modern society needs the development of functional literacy, including the ability to draw up legal documents. This requires not only legal, but also linguistic knowledge. The characteristics of a legal document according of T.V. Kashanina are: regulation of social relations, basis on the rule of law, publication within the scope of competence, establishment of rights and obligations, generation of legal consequences, requirement of professional knowledge, availability of details. The article examines various linguistic means of the language of law: general linguistic (clarity, accuracy, conciseness), lexical, syntactic and stylistic. Particular attention is paid to vocabulary. The importance of consistent use of terms with clear meanings is noted. The features of the use of nouns and verbs in legal texts are given. It has been revealed that nouns can be used to list competencies (acceptance, approval, establishment, etc.), and verbs are used mainly in the active voice to focus attention on the subject of the action. The set of verbs depends on the type of document and scope of application. It is concluded that linguistic features make it possible to distinguish a legal text from a variety of documents. Legal language is considered difficult to understand, so it is important to maintain pattern and standardization when creating legal texts, while the style of statement and selection of vocabulary should ensure clarity for any reader. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time, using the material of the Russian language of law, various features and errors of the legal text have been described and systematized. As a result of the study, it was established that the process of drawing up a legal text is complicated not so much by the lack of legal knowledge as by a lack of understanding of the rules for using the Russian language in law.