Eesti Rakenduslingvistika Ühingu Aastaraamat (Apr 2018)
Ladina terminid Eesti riigikohtu praktika keelekasutuses
Abstract
"Usage of Latin terms in the practice of the Supreme Court of Estonia" This article offers an analysis of the usage of Latin terms in the decisions of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Estonia during the period of 1993–2016. In the language usage of the legal field, the special language of jurisprudence and the language of legislation and laws are distinguished (Oksaar 1999: 204, Mereste 2000: 412–415, Kerge 2002: 37–38, Mattila 2013: 110–112). In the special language of jurisprudence, legal issues are discussed in scientific terms, the content expressed in the language of law is described and analysed. The language of laws and legislation is used in solving and acknowledging generally important problems for the society (Mereste 2000: 415). The decisions of the Supreme Court as the judicial authority of the highest instance are the legal acts where a new law is created, thus bringing together the language of jurisprudence and legislation. Because jurisprudence is a discipline the conceptual apparatus of which has developed over centuries on the basis of the Latin language, legal professionals are using Latin as their practical working tool. The efficiency of Latin terms in professional communication and administration lies, first and foremost, in their preciseness: often, an expression consisting of just a few words conveys an important principle which may require more than one sentence to be communicated in Estonian. Therefore, it is expedient and natural to use a specific terminology, including Latin terms, in the language used in jurisprudence; however, in the language of legislation and laws, simplicity and comprehensibility of the text are expected. At the same time, the decisions of the Supreme Court as the texts based on jurisprudential argumentation are also the materials targeting general public. In this context, the article explores how many and which expressions originating from Latin are used in the court decisions and how do the Latin terms used as quotations affect the quality of legal text.
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