DISCOURSE AT THE CROSSROADS OF LANGUAGE AND LAW

Abstract

The present article is part of a larger project that is aimed at exploring the peculiar features of language use in the legal domain against the background of the interaction of language and law. The investigation of the intersection of linguistics and legal studies is of paramount importance. Legal regulations, qualified legal assistance, knowledge of linguistic requirements for legal formulations, etc. have nowadays become an indispensable part of human life. Focusing on the results achieved by our predecessors that will help understand the nature and the complexity of the legal system and law, and divulging the specificities of legal discourse at large and the one exercised in the courtroom in particular are of paramount importance. The desire to engross this field has stimulated the study of a wide range of books, articles and works of prominent scholars which, in one way or another, refer to the mentioned questions. Applying the methodology of discourse analysis and description of the relevant literature, we come to the conclusion that an integrated and coherent analysis from a linguistic standpoint proves to be an inevitable step in the process of revealing the concept of legal discourse.