A description of non-cooperatives in legal english in Kenya, based on grice's principle of cooperation

Abstract

This project investigates the features which characterize the register of the lawyers. And how this features make the jargon the most difficult to be understood by people outside 1helegal field. A description is made of this jargon based on four features: wordiness, lack of clarity, pomposity, and dullness of the jargon. In addition, attention is given to the foreign words, which constitute much of 1his jargon. These words are interpreted to the understanding of the layman and their historical ongm given. The theoretical framework used, for the establishment of the inadequacy of this jargon is the Griceans principle, or the four maxims of conversation. The project applies the methodology of issuing questionnaires constitute two types of questions: open-ended questions and closed questions. Their responses are analysed and conclusions made based on the data. The findings indicated 1hat legal English is complex jargon that does not reach the layman since it is very different from ordinary English. The response from the samples used showed that those outside the legal field vehemently support the simplification of legal English whereas those in the field showed a lot of conservatism, although a few agreed that legal English is a very complexjargon as the research was out to prove.