Conceptualization of legal terminology: the need for a transparent terminological approach
Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the conceptualization of legal terminology. It has been emphasized that legal concepts are important for the functioning of legal institutions. It has been noted that most of the legal terms aimed at unambiguous and consistent interpretation of legal texts are established in various legal documents. The boundaries of most subject areas are unclear, and their use in different areas of law may lead to the application of different criteria to establish the essence of the term.
Attention is drawn to the fact that terminological work traditionally focuses on the organization of concepts and lexical items in a specialized field, in which each term is one concept, and each concept is denoted by one term. The definition of a particular area of law and terms related to that area includes the establishment of both terminological and conceptual boundaries, which allows clear and unambiguous use of the relevant categories. A clear approach to understanding the term contributes to the quality of legislation that affects the stability of state life.
It is emphasized that ambiguous terms are used in modern legislation. Given the foreign experience in the context of European Union law, the timing of interdisciplinary concepts seems more appropriate due to the complex relationship between the national law of the Member States and the law of the European Union. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary concepts, i.e. concepts or institutions that arise in more than one legal field. More specifically, such concepts may apply to both the national legal system and the law of the European Union. Although the same term is used to denote an interdisciplinary concept, its conceptualization may differ in various areas of law and different legal systems, which may adversely affect the case because there will be no common approach to understanding the term.
It is noted that the study of legal terminology should focus on the elements of the legal solution of the real problem.
Downloads
References
Artykutsa, N. V. (2007, April 5). Fundamentals of the doctrine of legal terminology and legal terminology. eKMAIR. http://ekmair.ukma.edu.ua/handle/123456789/2457.
Bajcic, М. (2011). Conceptualization of legal terms in different fields of law : the need for a transparent terminological approach. Research in Language, 9.1, 81-93.
Bednarek, G. (2012). The approximation of criminal laws in the European Union: the demise of incongruency of legal terminology in legal translation? International Journal for Legal Communication, 3, 37-51.
Berezhna, K. V., & Ihnatenko. Ye. O. (2021). The issue of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union in the light of it’s legal and institutional reforms. Juridical Scientific and Electronic Journal, 9, 283-286. http://www.lsej.org.ua/9_2021/72.pdf.
Busel, V. T. (Ed.). (2009). Large explanatory dictionary of the modern Ukrainian language. Perun.
Chiocchetti, Е., & Natascia, R. N. (2011). Legal Terminology and Lesser Used Languages: The Case of Mòcheno. Research in Language, 9.1, 135-146.
Chromá, М. (2011). Synonymy and Polysemy in Legal Terminology and Their Applicationsto Bilingual and Bijural Translation. Research in Language, 9.1, 31-50.
Fomina, L. Yu. (2006). Unification of normative legal terminology [Candidate thesis, Mordovia State University].
Genew-Puhalewa, І. (2011). European Union terminology unification – directions for the contrastive study of two Slavic and two non-Slavic languages. Research in Language, 9.1, 69-79.
Herhul, H. (2002, August 6). Requirements for legal terms. Lviv Polytechnic Publishing House. http://vlp.com.ua/files/61_3.pdf.
Hrytsaienko, L. L. (2010). Global reform of the European Union (novelties of the Lisbon Treaty). Current Issues of International Relations, 90(1), 194-195. http://journals.iir.kiev.ua/index.php/apmv/article/viewFile/1300/1249.
Jopek-Bosiacka, А. (2011). Defining law terms: a cross-cultural perspective. Research in Language, 9.1, 9-29.
Kalashnyk, V. S. (Ed.). (2005). Explanatory dictionary of the modern Ukrainian language. Belkar-book.
Kaleniuk, O. M. (2015). Development of Ukrainian legal terminology in the western Ukrainian lands in the late XIX – early XX centuries [Candidate dissertation, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine].
Kościałkowska-Okońska, Е. (2011). EU Terminology in Interpreter Training: Selected Problem Areas Connected with EU-Related Texts. Research in Language, 9.1, 111-124.
Kraievska, O., & Utko, H. (2012). The transformation of the EU institutional and legal system under the Lisbon Treaty. Bulletin of Lviv University. International Relations Series, 30, 93-102. https://intrel.lnu.edu.ua/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/VLNU_Mv_2012_30_13.pdf.
Liubchenko, M. I. (2015). Legal terminology: concepts, features, types. Kharkiv.
Pakhomova, O. A. (2020, May 15). Multicomponent legal terms: structure and problems of functioning [Conference presentation abstract]. International scientific-practical conference “Legal life of modern Ukraine”, Odesa, Ukraine.
Peruzzo, К. (2012). Terminological Equivalence and Variation in the EU Multi-level Jurisdiction: A Case Study on Victims of Crime. Anno Accademico.
Peruzzo, К. (2013). European English terms for Italian legal concepts: the case of the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure. International Journal of Translation, 15, 145-157.
Sandrini, P. (2017). Legal Terminology. Some Aspects for a New Methodology. HERMES, 12(22), 101-111.
Semotiuk, O. P. (2008). Modern dictionary of foreign words. Vesta.
Shestakova, S. O. (2018). Features of legal terminology as a specialized system of legal concepts. Scientific Bulletin of the International Humanities University. Series: Philology, 33(1), 71-73.
Skopnenko, O. I., & Tsymbaliuk, T. V. (Eds). (2006). Dictionary of foreign words. Trust.
Sydoruk, H. I. (2014). Semantics of legal terms in translations of international European integration documentation. Scientific Bulletin of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. Series: Philological Sciences, 206, 131-136.
Yatsyshyn, N. P. (2013). Legal terminology as a specialized system of legal concepts. Terminological Bulletin, 2(2), 99-103.
Copyright (c) 2022 V. V. Lazariev
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.