This conference aims to explore the dynamic interplay between language and law along multiple axes. Processes of change over time will be at the core of the conference, bringing into dialogue diachronic perspectives and future-oriented approaches. On the one hand, participants are invited to explore how the relationship between language and law has taken different forms across historical periods and evolved. This includes the linguistic analysis of ancient and pre-modern legal texts, as well as approaches to legal history that place language at the centre. On the other hand, particular attention will be devoted to emerging developments, especially those driven by recent technological advances. In this respect, artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly significant role, reshaping both the theory and practice of law and linguistic approaches to legal and forensic contexts. AI is also profoundly transforming specialised translation and the broader ecosystem of multilingual legal communication, raising new methodological, ethical, and epistemological questions. Another key axis of the conference concerns the relationship between theoretical reflection and practical analysis in the study of language and law. These different axes are not conceived as separate, but as intersecting dimensions that can be fruitfully combined in a wide range of approaches.
Contributions are therefore welcome from fields such as the philosophy of law, in both synchronic and diachronic perspectives, and theories of legal argumentation addressing texts and issues from the past, the present, or emerging future scenarios. At the same time, the conference encourages work in forensic linguistics, legal translation and translation theory, as well as analyses of legal language as used by lawyers and, more broadly, by all participants involved in judicial processes, from preliminary investigations to judicial decisions. Particular attention may also be given to how the increasing use of artificial intelligence is transforming professional practices and reshaping methodological paradigms in the current historical moment. More broadly, the conference encourages contributions that engage with the plurality of approaches to language and law, fostering dialogue between different theoretical frameworks, methodological traditions, and applied perspectives.
Within this thematic focus, we welcome papers addressing, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Historical and diachronic perspectives on language and law, including the analysis of ancient and pre-modern legal texts, theoretical approaches to legal language and legal interpretation
- Theoretical approaches to legal language, legal interpretation, and legal argumentation
- The relationship between theory and practice in legal and linguistic analysis
- Discourse, pragmatics, and rhetoric in legal contexts
- Legal drafting, plain language movements, and accessibility of legal texts
- Language in the courtroom
- Multilingualism, legal translation, and interpreting in legal settings
- Specialised translation, legal terminology and translation theory
- The impact of artificial intelligence on legal practice and legal linguistics
- AI and legal decision-making, automation, and accountability
- The transformation of professional practices through AI
- Digital communication and new legal genres
- Hybrid forms between legal, administrative, and public discourse
- Language, power, and ideology in legal systems
- Comparative and cross-cultural perspectives on language and law
We particularly welcome contributions that bridge theory and practice, and that explore innovative or interdisciplinary approaches.
Call for papers coming soon.