American Legal English of the 17th Century (Based on the Court Records of the Salem Witch Trials)

Skiridova A. American Legal English of the 17th Century (Based on the Court Records of the Salem Witch Trials) : master’s thesis : 035 Philology / supervised Anna Karaban. Kyiv, 2023. 139 p.

The topicality of the research lies in the fact that the analysis of court proceedings of the Salem Witch Trials can provide valuable insight into the origins of the American legal language. In particular, it will help with uncovering the linguistic intricacies and nuances of the New World’s colonial period.
The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive analysis of American legal English on the basis of court records of the Salem Witch Trials. By conducting a thorough examination of the language used in the court records, this paper seeks to contribute to our understanding of the development of language during the 17th century and provide insights into the linguistic practices of the time.
The object of this paper is American legal English employed in the 17th century.
The subject of our paper is the characteristics of legal genres presented in the court records of the Salem Witch Trials, which are to be analyzed based on their orthography, vocabulary, grammar, and structure.