Legal English through the Ages

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of legal language, tracing its development from historical formulations to contemporary adaptations, including the emerging role of artificial intelligence in legal translation and communication. Through a diachronic study of three specialised legal corpora the Corpus of Historical English Law Reports 15351999 (CHELAR), the British Law Report Corpus (BLaRC), and the Bononia Legal Corpus (BoLC) this monograph identifies key trends in legal English, revealing a gradual shift towards simplification, modernisation, and greater inclusivity, most notably reflected in the reduction of gender-biased language. Building on this historical foundation, the study situates the contemporary use of artificial intelligence within the broader trajectory of legal language reform, examining how emerging technologies continueand in some cases acceleratethe shift toward simplification and accessibility, particularly through the automated translation and processing of legal texts. It critically assesses both the potential of AI to enhance communicative clarity and its limitations in navigating the complexity and conservatism that characterise legal discourse. By integrating historical, linguistic, and technological perspectives, this work provides valuable insights into the trajectory of legal discourse, the methodological contribution of corpus-based analysis, and the evolving role of AI in fostering inclusivity and clarity in legal communication. It will be of particular interest to scholars and practitioners in the fields of law, legal linguistics, translation studies, historical linguistics, and corpus linguistics.

Offers a historical corpus-based examination of legal English from 1535 to 2010 across three legal corpora Traces legal linguistic evolutions in response to broader societal and legal changes Includes a critical analysis of gendered legal terminology across centuries

Autorentext

Vanessa Leonardi is an Associate Professor of Translation, English Language and Linguistics in the Department of Humanities and Modern Cultures at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

Patrizia Giampieri is an Associate Professor of Translation, English Language and Linguistics in the Department of Human and Social Sciences at Universitas Mercatorum, Italy.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Historical Development of Legal English.- Chapter 2: Corpora and Linguistic Analysis.- Chapter 3: Analytical Framework for Corpus-Based Examination of Legal English.- Chapter 4: Corpus-based analyses: Findings and Discussion.- Chapter 5: Artificial Intelligence and the Legal Field.- Chapter 6: Conclusions.