从三大纯理功能角度看法律英语的特点

文章探讨了法律英语中最常用的语篇———立法语篇的特征,使用的理论框架是功能语法中的三大纯理功能,以美国宪法(不包括宪法修正案)为语料。分析和探讨显示,从人际功能来看,立法语篇具有明确性、相对稳定性、强制性等特征;从概念功能来看,立法语篇具有规范性、协调性、固态性、客观性、公正性、无情性、小句复合体层面的简洁性、词汇层面的复杂性等特征;从语篇功能来看,立法语篇具有客观性、严谨性、灵活性、求实性、连贯性、小句复合体层面的复杂性、晦涩难懂性等特征。

On features of English of law from the perspective of three metafunctions

This article offers an analysis of legislative discourse, the most commonly used discourse in English of law-from the perspective of three metafunctions. The material for the analysis is the Constitution of the United States of America (excluding the amendments). The result of the analysis shows that legislative discourses have such features as definiteness, relative stability and compulsion in terms of interpersonal function, and in terms of ideational function, it is characterized by norm, fossilization, coordination, objectification, impartiality, inexorability, simplicity at the level of the clause complex, complication at the level of the word, etc. and in terms of textual function, it is marked by objective, flexible, realistic, coherent, obscure and complicated at the level of the clause complex.