English Legal Terminologies in Bengali: Convergence and Divergence in Equivalence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64102/rujal.0719Keywords:
Legal terminology, Equivalence, Convergence, Divergence, English, BengaliAbstract
The formation of English legal terminologies in Bengali began as a colonial project during the late 18th century in Bengal, and this terminographic process is advanced with the help of the Bengali writers, lexicographers, terminologists and authoritative language institutions. The objective of this paper is to explore convergence and divergence of English legal terminologies in Bengali in the context of equivalence relations against the backdrop of lexicography, terminography and translation studies. The study is a qualitative research under a descriptive framework based on content analysis and critical interpretive analysis of a range of legal terminologies in English and their equivalents or counterparts in Bengali. This study addresses the question of whether and how language contact with its transliteration and translation strategies actuates convergence and divergence phenomena between the two languages in a particular domain. The findings show that equivalence relations of English legal terminologies in Bengali have changed with historical trajectories, sociolinguistic realities and cultural dimensions of the Bengali legal language and its development.
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