The interpretation of words and terms of International Treaties. Linguistic tools and the choices of Courts

Journal title PARADIGMI
Author/s Diego Femia
Publishing Year 2016 Issue 2016/1
Language Italian Pages 15 P. 11-25 File size 195 KB
DOI 10.3280/PARA2016-001002
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Interpretation in international law is a topical issue. This paper describes the treaties interpretation practice of the World Trade Organization and focuses on the WTO’s use of dictionaries in order to interpret words and terms of the multilateral treaties. Taking into account the different levels of linguistic analysis necessarily involved, the author traces the dimensions of the phenomenon and, through the definition of a research form, conducts an initial analysis of these interpretive practices and presents some results of this study.

Keywords: Dictionaries, juridical discourse, linguistic vagueness, ordinary meaning, treaty interpretation, WTO

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Diego Femia, Interpretare parole e termini di trattati internazionali: utensili linguistici e scelte dei giudici in "PARADIGMI" 1/2016, pp 11-25, DOI: 10.3280/PARA2016-001002