Deciphering the Linguistic Features of Legal Discourse in Saudi Legal Texts: A Focus on Lexicalization, Modality, and Nominalization

This study draws on legal discourse analysis to investigate the linguistic characteristics of the legal discourse in selected Saudi legal texts. The analytical focus is on three linguistic features: lexicalization, modality, and nominalization. The main objective is to decipher the role of the three linguistic features in constructing legal meanings, establishing legal authority and legitimizing legal institutions. In doing so, a qualitative legal discourse analysis of a number of Saudi legal texts is performed to identify the patterns characteristic of those texts and explore their role in legal communication. There are three findings in this study: first, Saudi legal texts abound in lexical choices used dexterously to maintain precision, coherence, and legal certainty; second, modality is used in the selected texts to communicate obligations, permissions, prohibitions, and rights; and third, nominalization is frequently used for enhancing the text formality, objectivity, and impersonality, thereby highlighting legal acts maintained in Saudi legal texts. The study highlights the role of language in shaping the meaning-making process in Saudi legal discourse.