A Contrastive Study Of Legal Loanwords In English And Chinese

Since the birth of languages, they have been shouldering the responsibilities of transmitting human civilization and communicating culture. Languages are not completely isolated. The communication of different languages will lead to mutual influence and penetration. Therefore, the fusion of languages has been existing if there is language contact. Meanwhile, in the course of language fusion, the borrowing of language has generally exited. Vocabulary, as the most fundamental and active factor, is the main part of language borrowing. Loanwords, which stand for their own language and culture, have made conflicts with the native language and culture when they enter into another language. Finally, loanwords which are filtered by the native language can stay in the native language, thus they can mix with the native language and they can be localized. Therefore, the loanwords can enrich the lexical system of a language, and they can be regarded as communicating and prospering culture.Lexical borrowing, absorbing and assimilating reflect the social culture of different ethnics. It has been generally agreed that a language may borrow words from the languages which are in close relationship with the target language. In addition, the main task of the borrowing is to make up for a loss of words. In many fields, the professional words are usually borrowed.In the field of law, both English and Chinese have borrowed and remolded a large quantities of loanwords which have become one part of respective legal language. China is country with a long history. During the process of human development, Han nationality has gained abundant achievements of civilization and legal Chinese has made a certain progress. But it is in the New Culture Movement and thirty years' reform and opening-up that the alien legal culture and legal thoughts have been transplanted and absorbed in China for the modern and current legal construction. We may say that the constant perfection of Chinese civil law system is always accompanying with the absorbing alien legal languages.. on the other hand, in the course of short English history, legal English has been gaining broad and profound different languages. It has absorbed the essence from Europe and the world and its legal system has become one of the most advanced legal systems around the world.This thesis has made a comparative analysis of definitions, borrowing reasons, significance, origins, borrowing strategies and methods of loanwords and legal loanwords in both Chinese and English. From these analyses, we are very clear that English is extremely capable of accepting loanwords and remolding them as its native language. Chinese is greatly influenced and restricted by its traditional culture and formation of words when it absorbs and assimilates loanwords and legal loanwords. Due to special position and the requirements of legal language, this thesis has put out the standardization and principles when Chinese absorbs and assimilates legal loanwords.With the frequent contact and communication of legal languages around the world, borrowing, absorbing and assimilating legal loanwords must show a colorful spectacle at the rapid speed. Studying legal loanwords, as a part of studying forensic linguistics, is very necessary and beneficial in contributing to both the law and the linguistics just as English philosopher David once pointed out that Law is only a forensic linguistics. Under the reforming and opening background of all fields, more legal loanwords will be accepted and absorbed by Chinese. Chairman Mao once said make the past serve the present and make the foreign things serve China. Only owning the open mental culture and using the word formation of Chinese can we take in all useful words from other countries to enrich our legal language and to accelerate our socialist legality.