English And Law
Words such as estate, chattel, lease, executor, tenant, and word phrases such as ad hoc, de facto, de jure, bona fide, inter alia, and ultra vires, remain in current use in legal writing though they are borrowed.
The legal language and legal tradition changed with waves of conquerors over the centuries.
Roman Britain beginning in AD 43, followed Roman legal tradition, and its legal language was Latin.
Following the Roman departure from Britain circa 410 and the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain, the dominant tradition was Anglo-Saxon law, which was discussed in the Germanic vernacular Old English. It was written in Old English since circa 600, beginning with the Law of Aethelberht.
After the Norman invasion of England in 1066, Anglo-Norman French became the official language of legal proceedings in England for a period of nearly 300 years until the Pleading in English Act 1362.
Medieval Latin was used for written records for over 650 years. Some English technical terms were retained.
In legal pleadings, Anglo-Norman developed into Law French, from which many words in modern legal English are derived. These include property, estate, chattel, lease, executor, and tenant.
The use of Law French during this period had an enduring influence on the general linguistic register of modern legal English. That use also accounts for some of the complex linguistic structures used in legal writing.
In 1362, the Statute of Pleading was enacted, which stated that all legal proceedings should be conducted in English but recorded in Latin. This marked the beginning of formal Legal English.
From 1066, Latin was the language of formal records and statutes, and was replaced by English in the Proceedings in Courts of Justice Act 1730.
A number of words and phrases such as ad hoc, de facto, de jure, bona fide, inter alia, and ultra vires, remain in current use in legal writing.
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