TAMIL NADU NATIONAL LAW SCHOOL, TIRUCHIRAPPALLI

I YEAR I SEMESTER B.Com., LL.B (HONS) DEGREE COURSE

ENGLISH – I Subject code: HAAA

Introduction and Course outline

The question ‘why law and language’ is always going to be an important one. Why, you ask,
should you spend your time in law school learning English? The answer to that is that the
kind of English you’ll study in law school will equip you to understand the law better.

Language is central to both the creation and implementation of law. The intersections
between law and language deal not only with how laws and drafted, what form they take, and
how they are applied, but also with how laws attach significance to some languages over
others.

Objectives of the Course:

 To explore the significance of language to communication and identity.

 To appreciate the language question in the Indian Constitution and the difference
between language as mother tongue, official language, the medium of educational
instruction and the language of official communication.
 To learn how to write and communicate effectively.
 To understand the difference between language and ideas by learning to express the
ideas of others in your own words.
 To appreciate techniques of interpretation used in law; to examine how significant the
context of words is to their meaning and to understand how these interpretations can
change with time.

Module I: An Uneasy Compromise: Status and Identity of Language in the Indian

Constitution:

This module will examine the Constituent Assembly Debates on the question of language,
along with the text of the Constitution, the Official Languages Act, 1963, and amendments
made to it. In doing so, questions on the importance of English, the role of Hindi under the
Constitution, and its role vis-a-vis other languages will be brought out. In examining how the
politics of language played out, we will also look at the major cases under the Constitution’s
linguistic provisions and the official Languages Act.

 Constitution and the importance of English and the role of Hindi in the Constitution.
 Official Language Act, 1963.
 Constitutions Linguistic Provision in India.
Module II: Introduction to ESL Grammar
 Using Nouns
 Using Verbs
 Using Pronouns Properly

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  Using Prepositions
 Using Conjunctions
 All About Adjectives and Adverbs
 Sentence Structure Know-How

Module III: Learning to Read and Write Effectively:

This module will focus on learning how to write clearly, concisely and formally, Examples of
good and bad writing will be shown in class, and strategies for writing well will be
demonstrated. This module will attempt to show the difference between ‘legalese’ and
excessive verbosity on one hand, and the ‘Plain English’ School. Assignments on writing will
be given, the benefits of correct punctuation brought out, and common grammatical errors
will be demonstrated. This module in the course shall be taught largely through tutorials and
through a discussion of the writing assignments that will be given.

 Filing RTI
 Reading comprehension (selected judgments shall be given to students and questions
shall be asked from those judgments)
 Business Letters
Module IV: Legal Words and Phrases; Legalese and Plain Language:

This module distinguishes between words and phrases which have functional importance and
phrases which are used to obtain professional suzerainty. Through bringing out the
difference between plain language and imprecise simplification, students will learn the
importance of being concise while at the same time not losing out on precision and the
formality that legal language requires.

 Introduction to Legal English

 Legalese English and Plain English
 Salient Features of Legal English
 General Legal terms and legal words- French and Latin
 Pitfalls of Legal English
 Legal maxims

Module V: Words: Their Meanings and Interpretation

Do words have meanings absent of context? Is meaning present or extracted through

interpretation? Does Authorial Meaning have precedence over the reader’s meaning? Does
the meaning of texts evolve or is it frozen in time? Through a discussion including but not
confined to legal cases, these questions will be debated and discussed. In a sense, this will
also be an entry point into the later law and literature course.

Judgments for Reference:

S. Rajarathinam v. State of Tamil Nadu W.P (MD) No.11999 of 2015

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Phantom Films Pvt Ltd & CBFC OS.WPL/1529/2016
S. Tamil Selvan & Perumal Murugan v State W.P. No.1215 of 2015

References:

Let’s talk in English-Manish Gupta

High School English Grammar and Composition- Wren & Martin
Professional English in Use Law- Gillian D. Brown & Sally Rice
English for Law-M.A. Yadugiri & Geetha Bhasker
Exploring Grammar in Context-Ronald Carter, Rebecca Hughes & Michael McCarthy
Professional presentations-Malcolm Goodale
Developing Reading Skills-Francoise Grellet
Study Skills in English-Michael J. Wallace
Telephoning in English third edition- B. Jean Natertop & Rod Revell
Towards Academic English Developing Effective Writing Skills- Mark Cholij