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Part of
Legal Pragmatics
Edited by Dennis Kurzon and Barbara Kryk-Kastovsky
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 288] 2018
► pp. 257–276

Chapter 12
Contextuality of interpretation in non-monolingual jurisdictions

The Canadian experience

| New Bulgarian University

Within the context of legal systems Canada manifests unique features originating in the co-existence of the two different legal systems of common law and civil law, worded respectively in English and French. Some converging and diverging elements of this idiosyncratic bijural and bilingual legal regime are examined and terminological issues arising in the process of harmonizing federal legislation with the Code Civil du Québec are discussed. The focus is on the procedure adopted in cases of conceptual and terminological non-correspondence, the drafting techniques employed, and the justification for choice in each particular instance contingent on the context, with the ultimate aim of providing optimal solutions regarding current pressing difficulties in the harmonization of legal terms in the supranational and multilingual system of the European Union.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2. The language of law
  • 3. Approaches to statutory interpretation
  • 4.The Canadian legislative context
  • 5.Implications for multilingual legal systems
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 26 April 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.288.12yan
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