Manual Of Law

Most English legal texts before 1600, and many before 1700, are written in law French. This book is the first glossary to be produced since 1779 and is intended for students and practitioners concerned with English legal history. A knowledge of French and Latin helps in understanding law French, but even so many words are not easily recognisable, and differences of usage constitute a new dialect. The glossary provides a list of the words most commonly found in English legal texts together with English meanings and (where appropriate) Latin equivalents or etymologies. Introductory chapters provide a brief history of the law French dialect; notes and tables for the conjugation of verbs in law French; common abbreviations and contractions, including the 'black letter' typographical symbols; and a bibliography of specialised works relating to law French.