Linguistic Analysis of Language Use in Legal Contexts

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26580079
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Linguistics
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Shudo Sachiko 早稲田大学, 法学学術院, 教授 (90409574)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): HARADA Yasunari 早稲田大学, 法学学術院, 教授 (80189711) ; TAKAHASHI Norio 早稲田大学, 法学学術院, 教授 (50171509) ; HASHIUCHI Takeshi 桃山学院大学, 国際教養学部, 名誉教授 (20069131) ; HOTTA Syugo 明治大学, 法学部, 教授 (70330008) ; 中網 栄美子 秀明大学, 学校教師学部, 講師 (10409724)
• Research Collaborator: IKEBE Migiwa 井上法律事務所, 弁護士 ; FUJII Tomoya 早稲田大学, 法学研究科
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 司法コンテクスト / 言語 / 法言語学 / 語用論 / 解釈 / 言語学的分析 / 推意 / 法学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research linguistically analysed language use in legal contexts and explored the possible contribution of linguistics in legal fields. In particular, we examined through linguistic analysis controversial Japanese cases that were prosecuted as threats. As the linguistic analysis matches the conclusions of the judgments, it illustrates how linguistic analysis may help courts to solidify the objective bases of their judgments involving an utterance alleged as a threat.
I also analyzed judicial interpretations in which the defendant’s ‘non-apologies’ and ‘semi-apologies’ were translated as apologies to show the necessity of achieving equivalence in translating such delicate expressions involving elements of apology.

Free Research Field

語用論、法と言語、社会言語学