 |
[email protected] |
 |
3275638434 |
 |
 |
| Paper Publishing WeChat |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Interpreting English Legal Terms by Semantic Frames
GAO Lian-hong
Full-Text PDF
XML 413 Views
DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2019.01.005
China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China
Legal English is characterized by the great number of legal terms, which cause difficulties for learners or translators to fully understand these legal concepts and to find equivalents in their native language. To comprehend these special terms accurately, we need to resort to semantic taxonomy and frame semantics which provide cognitive frameworks to illustrate the semantic complexities of legal terminology. It is high time as well as the first time to apply Löbner’s theory of semantic taxonomy and Fillmore’s frame semantics to interpret English legal terms. According to Löbner, meanings of some linguistic unit can be analyzed into three levels: expression meaning, utterance meaning and communicative meaning, corresponding with three types of equivalency: formal, semantic and functional. Good dictionaries, as well as encyclopedias, have been trying to expose these three levels of meaning in the entries. As far as legal dictionaries are concerned, the job should be more complicated since legal terms embody unusual expression meaning though the expressions may take on common looks and the utterance meaning in addition to the functional meaning involve more intriguing legal procedures or principles. The abundance of legal language contributes to this complexity in interpreting legal terminology. Fillmore’s theory and methodology of frame semantics pave the road to solving this complexity. This paper provides examples of how to use the special methodology to do the interpretation for the purpose of promoting legal literacy.
English legal terminology, frame semantics, semantic taxonomy
Hohfeld, W. N. (1913). Some fundamental legal conceptions as applied in judicial reasoning. The Yale Law Journal, 23(1), 16-59.
Löbner, S. (2013). Understanding semantics. New York, London: Routledge.
López, A. S. (1999). Translating legal terms in context. Legal Reference Services Quarterly, 17.4, 105-113.
Mishchenko, V. (2010). Terminology translation in teaching legal English. English for Specific Purposes World, 9(29), 6.
Martin, J. (2011). Key facts: The English legal system (4th ed.) UK: Hodder Education.
Nolfi, A. E. (2009). Legal terminology explained. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Thomas, J. (2014). Meaning in interaction: An introduction to pragmatics. New York, London: Routledge.