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Verba Legis

Editorial | July 16, 2021

ISSN	(Online) To be assigned
Publisher	Academic Journal Editing Enterprise Inc. White Hart Lane, Banawa Cebu City 6000 Philippines
Frequency	Biannual

Aims and Scope

Verba Legis (“Words of the Law”)

Language is the foundation of law. Every legal concept, rule, and procedure is built upon the precise and nuanced use of words. However, the meaning of words is not always fixed. As Lewis Carroll so aptly observed in his Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty declared, “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.” This very tension – between the aspiration for fixed meaning and the reality of linguistic fluidity – lies at the heart of legal interpretation.

This journal is dedicated to exploring the complexities of legal language. We will examine how the meaning of words shapes the application of law in various contexts, including:

*Criminal Law: How do ambiguities in criminal statutes impact the definition of offenses and the application of penalties?
*Contract Law: When parties to a contract use vague or conflicting language, how do courts determine the true meaning of their agreement?
*Courtroom Discourse: How do judges, lawyers, and witnesses use language to persuade, argue, and ultimately influence legal outcomes?

*We will delve into the challenges of translanguaging, where legal concepts and terms must be translated across languages, potentially introducing new layers of ambiguity. We will also explore the role of linguistics and other disciplines in helping us understand the nuances of legal language.

Verba Legis aims to be a forum for legal scholars, practitioners, and linguists to engage in a critical discussion about the meaning of words in the legal world. We invite submissions that explore the theoretical underpinnings of legal interpretation, analyze specific cases where word meaning has been contested, and propose new approaches to resolving ambiguity in legal language.

Through rigorous analysis and lively debate, we hope to contribute to a more precise, just, and effective application of the law.

Types of submissions