The Legal Style of Croatian-Language Versions of European Union Legislation

A Contribution to the Study of the Legal Style of Croatian Standard Language

Abstract

The legal style of the Croatian-language versions of EU legislation draws on two sources: the legal style of standard Croatian, and a hybrid language based on combined linguistic concepts derived from the working languages of the European Union, as well as from the official languages of the member states that make up this international political and economic organisation. The purpose of this article is to present the features of the Croatian legal style by means of theoretical presentation thereof, to indicate (on the basis of the analysis) the features of Croatian Euro-jargon, i.e. the supranational style of the texts of EU legal acts, and to make an attempt to show if and how Euro-jargon influences the drafting of the texts of Croatian national laws.