Summary

The use of Latin terms permits general evaluation of the intellectual standing and legal culture of lawyers, including legal education. This article examines the acquisition of specialised professional vocabulary essential for lawyers over three periods when law was taught in Estonian: the period separating the two World Wars, the Soviet era, and the period following the restoration of independence. The author describes the main methods used for learning Latin legal terms during these periods as well as the training aids used at the university, for teaching and learning vocabulary. Legal publications have been taken as the basis for assessing the use of terms over these periods.

Examination of legal publications unveils clear links between the use of foreign terms and legal education. In the first period of independence in Estonia, knowledge of Latin was an essential element of the legal profession. In-depth knowledge of professional vocabulary and a strong linguistic background are also clearly reflected in the articles contributed by the lawyers of the time to the law journal Õigus (Law). In the Soviet era, learning Latin became rather superficial and mostly focused on general vocabulary. Poor knowledge of professional vocabulary can also be detected in the first years of the journal Eesti Jurist (Estonian Lawyer) and especially in Nõukogude Õigus (Soviet Law) where specifically legal terms were seldom used. In the current independence era, Latin has regained its position in jurisprudence. In contrast with the modest recourse to specialised vocabulary in the Soviet era, the law journal Juridica makes heavy use of Latin terms, and foreign words are, above all, applied to convey specific legal connotation.