North-West University (South Africa), Faculty of Law – Justice in Practice
22 March 2022 via MS Teams (Link supplied upon registration)
Organiser: Dr Natasha Ravyse (Natasha.Ravyse[at]nwu.ac.za)
Abstract:
Almost four decades ago, Grossfeld1 noted that language had become an element of great interest considering the power that language holds in its ability to influence a particular law. Fast-forward 17 years to when Endicott2 wrote a notable contribution Law and Language where language is cited as being “crucial to any legal system”. Fifteen years on from the latter, Durant and Leung3 dedicate their publication to explaining just how imperative the role of language is in both crafting law and governing its application. From comparative law, to legal philosophy, to forensic linguistics, it is obvious that the relationship between language and law is irrefutable and has since been the catalyst for many areas of research. Mertz and Rajah4 search for new frontiers in language and law research and it is in the spirit of this venture that the NWU Faculty of Law’s Justice in Practice is hosting its inaugural language and law colloquium. Its purpose is to inspire novel research in the field of language and law from a global south perspective, rich in multilingualism and multiculturalism; to pick up where Prinsloo, Peeters, Turi and van Rensburg5 left off in 2015; and to promote the unique perspectives and contributions we can make.
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1 Grossfeld 1985 Air L. & Com.
2 Endicott 2002 https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/law-language/
3 Durant and Leung Language and Law
4 Mertz and Rajah 2021 ARLSS
5 Prinsloo et al. Language and Law in the African, including South African Context
Preliminary Programme (South African time zone - GMT+2)
| Time | Activity | Speaker |
| 08:30–08:35 | Welcome and health check | Dr Natasha Ravyse NWU, Vanderbijlpark Campus, South Africa Co-Project Leader: Justice in Practice |
| 08:35–08:40 | Official opening | |
| 08:45–09:05 | Lawyers v linguists: Who should decide what legal language means? Recorded presentation |
|
| 09:05–09:15 | Q&A session | |
| 09:20–09:40 | Translation Rights and Exceptions under Berne, Ius Cogens, and Linguistic Genocide Recorded presentation |
|
| 09:40–09:50 | Q&A session | |
| 09:50–10:00 | Break | |
| 10:00–10:20 | Live presentation | Dr Zakeera Docrat University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa NRF Profile: https://www.nrf.ac.za/youth-month-2021-dr-zakeera-docrat/ |
| 10:20–10:30 | Q&A session | |
| 10:30–10:50 |
Spewing hate through the medium of language – showcasing instigators as poisonous pedagogues |
Prof Avitus Agbor NWU, Mafikeng Campus, South Africa ResearchGate Profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Avitus-Agbor |
| 10:50–11:00 | Q&A session | |
| 11:00–11:10 | Break | |
| 11:10–11:25 |
Special session |
Ms Stephanie Mostert NWU, Vanderbijlpark Campus, South Africa |
| 11:25–11:45 | Reflextion Session | |
| 11:50–12:20 |
Closing key-note address |
Prof Jothie Rajah & Prof Elizabeth Mertz American Bar Foundation, Chicago, USA University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA ResearchGate profiles: http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/faculty/profile/28 http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/faculty/profile/17 |
| 12:20–12:30 | Question-noting | |
| 12:30–12:35 | Closing | |
To register for the colloquium, please click here.
