ON THE FORMS AND THORNS OF LINGUISTIC INDETERMINACY IN CHINESE LAW

This study addresses the different types and implications of linguistic indeterminacy in Chinese law. It firstly draws on the studies of scholars of different disciplines, such as linguistics and philosophy of language, to provide a taxonomy of indeterminacy in language. It then provides examples o...

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Main Author: Michele Mannoni
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan 2021-02-01
Series:Comparative Legilinguistics
Subjects:
Online Access:http://150.254.115.151/index.php/cl/article/view/23227
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author Michele Mannoni
author_facet Michele Mannoni
author_sort Michele Mannoni
collection DOAJ
description This study addresses the different types and implications of linguistic indeterminacy in Chinese law. It firstly draws on the studies of scholars of different disciplines, such as linguistics and philosophy of language, to provide a taxonomy of indeterminacy in language. It then provides examples of each type, highlighting the implications in law and legal interpretation. It uses linguistic data from various texts, such as statutory laws and judgements, and analyse them with various methods, including discourse analysis and corpus linguistics. This study argues that when the language of the law is indeterminate, the legal outcomes may be particularly uncertain. It suggests that although it is difficult to ascertain whether the degree of indeterminacy is higher in some languages more than in others, some linguistic mechanisms at the word-formation level in Chinese are remarkably ambiguous. When uncertain terms are in key parts of the law, the consequences may be more serious. The study of linguistic indeterminacy in Chinese has implications for the study of forensic linguistics, and Chinese studies in general.
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spelling doaj.art-c9533ed6f01641578d0cbe091234b8a32023-02-16T15:19:05ZdeuAdam Mickiewicz University, PoznanComparative Legilinguistics2080-59262391-44912021-02-0145ON THE FORMS AND THORNS OF LINGUISTIC INDETERMINACY IN CHINESE LAWMichele Mannoni This study addresses the different types and implications of linguistic indeterminacy in Chinese law. It firstly draws on the studies of scholars of different disciplines, such as linguistics and philosophy of language, to provide a taxonomy of indeterminacy in language. It then provides examples of each type, highlighting the implications in law and legal interpretation. It uses linguistic data from various texts, such as statutory laws and judgements, and analyse them with various methods, including discourse analysis and corpus linguistics. This study argues that when the language of the law is indeterminate, the legal outcomes may be particularly uncertain. It suggests that although it is difficult to ascertain whether the degree of indeterminacy is higher in some languages more than in others, some linguistic mechanisms at the word-formation level in Chinese are remarkably ambiguous. When uncertain terms are in key parts of the law, the consequences may be more serious. The study of linguistic indeterminacy in Chinese has implications for the study of forensic linguistics, and Chinese studies in general. http://150.254.115.151/index.php/cl/article/view/23227Linguistic vaguenesslinguistic ambiguityChinese lawChinese legal languagecross-lingual studies
spellingShingle Michele Mannoni
ON THE FORMS AND THORNS OF LINGUISTIC INDETERMINACY IN CHINESE LAW
Comparative Legilinguistics
Linguistic vagueness
linguistic ambiguity
Chinese law
Chinese legal language
cross-lingual studies
title ON THE FORMS AND THORNS OF LINGUISTIC INDETERMINACY IN CHINESE LAW
title_full ON THE FORMS AND THORNS OF LINGUISTIC INDETERMINACY IN CHINESE LAW
title_fullStr ON THE FORMS AND THORNS OF LINGUISTIC INDETERMINACY IN CHINESE LAW
title_full_unstemmed ON THE FORMS AND THORNS OF LINGUISTIC INDETERMINACY IN CHINESE LAW
title_short ON THE FORMS AND THORNS OF LINGUISTIC INDETERMINACY IN CHINESE LAW
title_sort on the forms and thorns of linguistic indeterminacy in chinese law
topic Linguistic vagueness
linguistic ambiguity
Chinese law
Chinese legal language
cross-lingual studies
url http://150.254.115.151/index.php/cl/article/view/23227
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