My Account Log in

1 option

Legal English through the Ages : A Corpus-Based Investigation of Change and Continuity / by Vanessa Leonardi, Patrizia Giampieri.

Springer Nature - Springer Law and Criminology (R0) eBooks 2025 English International Available online

View online
Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Leonardi, Vanessa.
Contributor:
Giampieri, Patrizia.
Series:
Law and Criminology Series
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Sociolinguistics.
Law--History.
Law.
Law and the social sciences.
Language and languages.
Legal History.
Socio-Legal Studies.
Language History.
Local Subjects:
Sociolinguistics.
Legal History.
Socio-Legal Studies.
Language History.
Physical Description:
1 online resource (260 pages)
Edition:
1st ed. 2025.
Place of Publication:
Cham : Springer Nature Switzerland : Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2025.
Summary:
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 1535–1999 (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 continue—and in some cases accelerate—the 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. 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.
Contents:
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.
Notes:
Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.
ISBN:
3-032-02172-3
9783032021724
OCLC:
1543219448

The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.

Find

Home Release notes

My Account

Shelf Request an item Bookmarks Fines and fees Settings

Guides

Using the Find catalog Using Articles+ Using your account