Journal of Discourse Review
Open Access Humanitarian scholarship
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Open Access Humanitarian scholarship
Time to first decision
Volume: 1 Issue: 2
Year: 2025, Page: 191-200,
Received: June 18, 2025 Accepted: June 26, 2025 Published: July 30, 2025
Legal English constitutes a specialized linguistic register distinguished by its formal style, precise terminology, frequent use of Latin expressions, and retention of archaic structures. For law students whose first language is not English, particularly those educated in non-English-medium contexts, the acquisition of this vocabulary presents notable cognitive and linguistic challenges. This study investigates the lexical difficulties encountered by LLB students at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), examining how limited lexical competence affects their reading comprehension, academic writing, and overall engagement with legal discourse. Adopting a mixed-methods design, data were collected through a vocabulary test, focus group discussions, and analysis of students’ written assignments. The findings reveal that a significant proportion of participants face persistent challenges in both understanding and accurately applying essential legal terminology. Contributing factors include first-language interference, minimal exposure to authentic legal texts, and a reliance on rote memorization strategies. The paper concludes with pedagogical recommendations for enhancing legal vocabulary instruction in law programs catering to non-native English speakers.
Keywords: Legal English, Lexical Challenges, LLB Students; ESP, Legal Vocabulary, Law Education, MANUU.
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© 2025 JDR Academic Trust. This is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Khan, M.A. (2025). Lexical Challenges in Learning Legal English: A Case Study of LLB Students at MANUU. Journal of Discourse Review, 1(2), 191-200.