英语法律话语通俗化运动及其写作原则

Plain English Campaign for the Legal English Discourse and its Writing Principles

西方的法律话语由于历史沿革的原因一直保持着复杂深奥的语言特征,而时代的发展决定了其通俗化的发展趋势。文章阐释了英语法律话语的通俗化运动,探讨了其兴起的理论背景、发展历史及影响,同时提出了通俗法律话语的写作指导原则:遵循7C原则、读者优先、多使用短句、多使用具体和日常词汇、多使用主动语态、多使用肯定句、避免大写。

Legal English discourse in the west, due to its adherence to historical evolution, has retained its complicated and abstruse linguistics features, but it comes into a tendency to be plain with time passing by. This paper expounds the plain English campaign for the legal English discourse, discusses its theoretical background, development and influence and puts forward its writing principles, namely, 7C writing principles, readers＇ foremost, the use of short sentences, the use of concrete and daily words, the use of active voice, the use of positive sentences, and avoidance of capitalization.