Contrastive semantics and comparative legal terminology

Abstract

The present paper is a contribution to the ongoing discussion on the problem of contrastive semantics and its participation in the process of comparison of legal terminology in different languages. Referring to the concept of contrastive semantics and comparison of legal terms, a question of the reliability of the linguistic tools “adjusted” for comparison arises. The essence of contrastive semantics lies in the definition of the meaning. The structural aspect of contrastive semantics is oriented to the meaning construct, whilst the cognitive aspect – to the real meaning. The real meaning has a subjective character and is actualized in speech acts in different amounts. The aim of this article is to give an overview of the methodology of comparison of legal terms from the standpoint of contrastive semantics covering the problem of structural and cognitive conception of meaning, and the problem of (non-) equivalency of the terms.