Legal Phraseology of EU case law. A comparative, corpus-assisted study of German and English judgments issued by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Abstract

This dissertation examines the phraseology of legal language within the context of European Union (EU) case law. Phraseology has long been a subject of linguistic inquiry, with seminal contributions from scholars such as Fleischer, Burger, and Cowie, who have advanced various frameworks for categorizing phrasemes based on their structure and meaning. Despite these advancements, a notable limitation of traditional approaches lies in the labor-intensive process of identifying and collecting phraseological units. To address this challenge, this dissertation introduces and applies the concept of lexical bundles to German-related research, aiming to explore its relevance and applicability to German legal language. Specifically, the study seeks to determine whether a corpus-based approach to German phraseology offers meaningful insights. To validate this approach, a comparative analysis was conducted using a parallel corpus in English, enabling cross-linguistic evaluation. The scope of this research is confined to the functional categorization of lexical bundles, integrating these findings with pragmatic phrasemes identified through traditional methodologies. The analysis reveals that the lexical bundles framework provides valuable insights into the distinctive features of German legal language, the functions of frequently occurring lexical bundles, and their communicative roles within the legal discourse. This dissertation addresses two key research questions: How can data derived from linguistic analysis enhance our understanding of the legal system and legal communication within the EU? Furthermore, how can contextual analysis of lexical bundles contribute to a deeper comprehension of phraseology's role in judicial discourse?