@article{ART003230146},
author={Lee, Hyun Hee},
title={A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language},
journal={Korean Language & Literature},
issn={1229-1730},
year={2025},
number={130},
pages={59-99}
TY - JOUR
AU - Lee, Hyun Hee
TI - A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language
JO - Korean Language & Literature
PY - 2025
VL - null
IS - 130
PB - Korean Language & Literature
SP - 59
EP - 99
SN - 1229-1730
AB - This study aims to identify and analyze problematic legal provisions from a linguistic perspective, drawing on recent legislative language reform initiatives undertaken in Korea. It provides linguistic rationales for revision and proposes concrete strategies to improve the structure and clarity of legal sentences. Legal texts function as the minimal shared standards that underpin social order, and from the standpoint of public language, they should be written in linguistically accurate and contextually appropriate Korean.
To address this issue, the study classifies problematic legal provisions into four categories: grammaticality, conciseness, logicality, and everydayness. Based on this framework, the paper proposes targeted revision strategies, including correcting syntactic structures, adjusting grammatical particles to clarify argument-predicate relationships, and eliminating redundant or ambiguous expressions to improve readability. It also highlights the importance of restructuring sentence components to enhance logical flow and replacing overly formal or technical language with expressions more familiar to everyday Korean speakers. Notably, a single legal provision may exhibit multiple types of problems, thereby requiring multi-dimensional revisions.
Although the practical impact of linguistic revisions may appear limited relative to the effort involved—and may not always align neatly with legal considerations—this study underscores the essential role of linguistic clarity in promoting legal transparency and inclusiveness. Despite the challenges of integrating such revisions into the formal legislative process, legal texts, as prototypical examples of public and formal written language, offer significant value as research material in linguistic inquiry. This study ultimately highlights the need for interdisciplinary approaches that bridge linguistics and law to enhance the accessibility and functionality of legal language.
KW - legal provisions;plainness;legal sentence refinement;syntactic rearrantement;conventional expressions;conciseness;elimination;substitution;addition;redundancy;grammaticality
DO -
UR -
ER -
Lee, Hyun Hee. (2025). A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language. Korean Language & Literature, 130, 59-99.
Lee, Hyun Hee. 2025, "A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language", Korean Language & Literature, no.130, pp.59-99.
Lee, Hyun Hee "A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language" Korean Language & Literature 130 pp.59-99 (2025) : 59.
Lee, Hyun Hee. A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language. 2025; 130 : 59-99.
Lee, Hyun Hee. "A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language" Korean Language & Literature no.130(2025) : 59-99.
Lee, Hyun Hee. A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language. Korean Language & Literature, 130, 59-99.
Lee, Hyun Hee. A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language. Korean Language & Literature. 2025; 130 59-99.
Lee, Hyun Hee. A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language. 2025; 130 : 59-99.
Lee, Hyun Hee. "A Linguistic Approach to Refining Legal Sentences for Plain Language" Korean Language & Literature no.130(2025) : 59-99.
