Importance

LANGUAGE
of
VARIATIONS in
LEGAL WRITING
 1.The use of language is crucial to any legal
system, not only in the same way that it is crucial
to politics in general, but also in writing.
Lawmakers characteristically use language to make
law, and law must provide for the authoritative
resolution of disputes over the effects of that use
of language.
 2.The term linguistic variation (or simply variation)
refers to regional, social, or contextual differences in the
ways that a particular language is used.
Variation between languages, dialects, and speakers is
known as interspeaker variation. Variation within the
language of a single speaker is called intraspeaker
variation.
 3.Linguists including Halliday have classified
varieties by drawing a general distinction between
variation determined by characteristics of the
language user and variation related to situations
of use.
4.Variation by language user is known
as dialect if variation is regional or
determined by social structure; such
variation includes grammatical and
lexical distinctiveness, as well as
pronunciation.
5.It is known as accent if variation is regional or
determined by social structure but restricted to
pronunciation
 Variation associated with different topics, fields and
contexts of use – including the relationship between
participants – is known in stylistics and sociolinguistics
as register (Halliday and Hasan 1976).
 Varieties of this type include registers of scientific,
religious and academic English.
Why is it Important in
Legal Writing?
 01
Language Variation is an important
part of Sociolinguistics.

7. Language Variation is an important part of Sociolinguistics, to

the extent that it requires reference to social factors.
 Languages vary from one place to another, from one social group
to another, and from one situation to another.
 02
Language Variation is a Universal
Human Characteristics.
8.It is a universal characteristics of human language
that speakers of the ‘same’ language who live in
different parts of a continuous territory do not speak in
the same way.
 03
Language Variation is Usually
Smooth and Gradual.
9.Careful observation shows that such variation is
usually smooth and gradual: the speech of each locality
differs in some features from the speech of each
neighboring locality, but without seriously impairing
mutual comprehension.
 04
Language Variation is Exists among
Different Social Classes and Groups.
10.Sometimes, there are differences between the
speech of men and women, different social classes, and
differences between age groups.
 05
Language Variation Guides Language
Development Activities.
11.For example, when developing a writing system, it is
desirable for it to be useful and acceptable to the
largest number of speakers of the language.
THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING!
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE3juyoA94M
https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.126
57/48546/9781315436258_oachapterA1.pdf?sequence
=1
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337499049_
LANGUAGE_VARIATION