1. COMPARATIVE LEGAL LINGUISTICS
INTRODUCTION

2. Lecturer Prof.dr.sc. Lelija Sočanac
Office hours: Tuesday – h, Gundulićeva 10, Room 5

3. LITERATURE
Mattila, Heikki E.S., Comparative Legal Linguistics .- Burlington: Ashgate, 2006.
Mooney, Annabelle, Language and law. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
Eades, Diana, Sociolinguistics and the legal process. Multilingual matters, 2010.

4. ADDITIONAL READING
Bhatia, Vijay K. et al. (eds.), Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts of Legislation : an International Perspective .- Peter Lang, 2003.
Bhatia et al. (eds), Legal Discourse in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts .- Peter Lang, 2003
Bhatia, F (ed.), Vagueness in Normative Texts .- Peter Lang, 2005
Extra, Guus; Gorter, Durk, Multilingual Europe: Facts and policies. Mouton de Gruyter, 2008.
Gotti, Maurizio, Giannoni D. (eds.) New Trends in Specialized Discourse Analysis .- Peter Lang, 2006
Kniffka, Hannes. Working in language and law : A German perspective. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
Olsson, John, Forensic Linguistics.- London: Continuum, 2008.
Olsson, John, Word Crime: Solving crime through forensic linguistics. London : Continuum, 2009.
Shuy, Roger W. Linguistics in the Courtroom: a practical guide. Oxford University Press, 2006.
Shuy, Roger W., Fighting over words: Language and civil law cases. Oxford University Press, 2008.
Shuy, Roger W. The language of defamation cases. Oxford University Press, 2010.
Shuy, Roger W. The language of perjury cases .- Oxford University Press, 2011.
Šarčević, Susan, New Approache to Legal Translation. Kluwer Law International 2000.
Wagner, Anne; Cacciaguidi-Fahy (eds.) Legal Language and the Search for Clarity.- Peter Lang, 2006

5. TIMETABLE TUESDAY 12.00-13.30, Gundulićeva 10, Lecture room IX.
16 Oct: Introduction to linguistics:
23 Oct: Major legal languages: Latin
30 Oct: Major legal languages: German, French
6 Nov. Major legal languages: English
20 Nov: Characteristics and functions of legal language
27 Nov: Legal Terminology and Translation
4 Dec: Legal pragmatics: Speech Acts
11 Dec: Legal pragmatics: Implicatures
18 Dec.: Language in the courtroom
8 Jan.: Narrative and law
15 Jan: Multilingualism in the EU
22 Jan. Linguistic human rights
29 Jan: Revision

6. Assesment One semester: 60 points
Attendance: 30 points (+10 for active participation)
Seminar paper: 10 points (+5 for excellence)
Presentation: 10 points (+5 for excellence)
Written exam: 15 points
Oral exam: 15 points

7. Suggested topics Legal languages Legal terminology Legal translation
Characteristics of legal discourse
Legal linguistics and the search for clarity
Language in the courtroom
Forensic linguistics
Language legislation
Linguistic human rights
Language policy and planning: official languages, minority languages

8. PREPARING YOUR PAPER 1. Collect as much material as you can
2. Organize your materials
3. Structure your paper:
1. Introduction
2. Elaboration
3. Conclusion
References

9. STRUCTURE Name TITLE Abstract
(A short summary of what you are going to write about)
1. Introduction.
1.1. Definition
1.2. Historical Background/ or Theoretical Background
1.3. Methodology
2. The main argument
3. Conclusion
References:
Oakland, John (2000), British Civilization : an Introduction .- 4th ed .- London; New York : Routledge.
SUMMARY

10. Academic style Formal Impersonal
Full forms should be used instead og contracted ones (e.g. cannot instead of can’t)
Avoid making false or personal claims
Allow for other points of view
Use appropriate vocabulary: legal terms
Avoid colloquialisms
Must be grammatically correct

11. Quoting
“If the question is asked: ‘what is law in society?’ a common response would be ‘to maintain order”. (Partington 2006: 13)
References
Partington, Martin (2006), An Introduction to the English Legal System .- 3rd ed .- Oxford University Press.

12. PARAGRAPHING
A paragraph: several sentences contained in the topic (or key) sentence
The topic sentence: usually the first one, contains the main idea or topic
The other sentences support it by adding further information or examples
A paragraph should link logically with previous and following paragraphs

13. Referencing Name of the author year Title Place of publication
Publisher
Pages used

14. Revising and editing
You should always read the text again to see if it is written clearly
Check the organization of the paper
Check grammar and spelling
Revise

15. P-O-W-E-R
Produce (something worth saying)
Organize
Write
Edit
Refine

16. PRESENTATION 1.Choose your topic (partly depends on your timeframe);
2. Think of your audience
3. Research: Collect your materials
4. Organize your presentation

17. STRUCTURE: THE BEGINNING
1. Establish contact: Greet the audience, introduce yourself (Good morning/afternoon/evening. My name is...I’m going to speak to you today about...)
2. Make an impact – say something that will make the audience want to listen to you
3. Give a preview of the argument you are going to present

18. MIDDLE
Divide speech into a few manageable points (‘I’m going to make a couple of points today. Briefly, these are...’
Place them in a logical order
Demonstrate how each point contributes to the main theme of the presentation

19. END
Indicate that you have reached the end of your presentation (And finally...; In conclusion...)
Summarise the key points of your presentation (‘By way of summary...’)
End with a clear, decisive statement (‘The most important effect of all this is...’)

20. Structure
1) Beginning: start by saying what you are going to talk about (“Tell them what you’re going to tell them”)
2) Middle: most important points with good illustrative examples (“Tell them”)
3) End: sum up (“Tell them again what you’ve told them”)
4) Invite questions

21. Points to remember 1. Use simple and clear language
2. Check and practise the pronunciation of difficult words
3. Pay attention to your intonation
4. If possible, do not read (notes, keywords)
5. Use visual aids, or write on the blackboard
6. Don’t forget about your TIMING!!! (10 minutes)

22. CHECKLIST: Preparation
Consider your audience:
What are they interested in?
What do they need to know?
What is the best way of presenting it?

23. Power Point Check the equipment
DO NOT put too much text on a slide (no more than 6 lines)
Text large enough for everyone to see
Be careful about background colours and pictures

24. Throughout your presentation:
Project your voice so that everyone can hear you
Maintain eye contact with your audience
Use visual aids to illustrate your points
Avoid contradicting yourself
Do not use vague or trivial language
Do not assert that something is true without backing it up with evidence

25. Team presentations Choose who will lead the presentation
Divide your topics
Rehearse how each person will hand over to the next
Identify what each person will be doing while another is speaking

26. K-I-S-S
Keep It
Short and
Simple

27. Tempus reading room Trg m. Tita 3 (next to the bookshop)
Monday – Friday – 14.00h