普通法系与大陆法系立法语言风格之比较

Comparison of Legislative Language Styles between Civil Law System and Common Law System

立法语言的技术风格反映的是特定国家或地区的政治法律制度特色、历史文化传统和价值理念,而不仅仅是一个方法或技术问题。当今世界资本主义两大法系的立法语言风格的差别在于,大陆法系的立法属于概括的模糊型立法,而普通法系的立法则属于具体的繁琐型立法。这两种立法语言风格,对于民主法治事业而言,各具利弊得失。各国在对立法语言的技术风格进行选择时,应立足国情,综合考虑各个方面的因素,尤其是法治水平、所立法律的性质和该法律所要调整的人群的类别等,以便制定出适宜本民族特点的、具有可操作性和科学性的立法。

Technical style of legislative language is not just a technical or methodological matter, and it grows out of and reflects a particular historical and cultural tradition, a special political and legal system, and some value conceptions. Legislative language styles between the Civil Law system and Common Law system in the contemporary world are quite different from each other, namely,legislations in civil law system are generally abstract and fuzzy （fuzzy law）while legislations in common law system are specific and fussy （fussy law）. Both legislative language styles, in terms of democracy and the rule of law,have respectively got their own advantages and disadvantages. In choosing the legislative language style, a state should take comprehensively various factors into account, in particular the level of the rule of law, the nature and the target group of the legislations etc,in order to make rational and practical laws appropriate for its national characteristics.