English is the language of personal injury

In the world of personal injury, as with much connected to the law, solicitors and lawyers, much turns upon the precise meaning and interpretation of words and, in these days of social networking on the internet and text speak on mobile phones, it's easy for confusion to arise through imprecise use of vocabulary.

English is a very diverse language, with about a quarter of a million words spoken by at least 350 million people around the world but having a common way of communicating is not quite the same as understanding what's meant by the person speaking or writing something.

It's said that Britain and the United States are two countries separated by a common language and most of us know examples of words with different meanings, such as pants which are trousers to an American but underwear to us, or a difference in usage as in a car bonnet will be opened by an English car driver and in the US the engine lives under a hood.

Then there's the question of initial capitalisation of words, which is becoming less regimented than before the days of computers which can recognise both upper case and lower case words spelt the same.

Many people fail to see the importance of using a capital letter at the beginning of a proper noun such as the name of a person, a business or a country not realising that there can be confusion over meaning if a lower case letter is used instead,

Is a Polish work-related injury the same as a polish work-related injury? Or does it have a double meaning implying an East European has slipped on a floor while at his workplace?

If you have suffered a slip in Iceland, will you be making a personal injury compensation claim against a well-known supermarket group or is a passenger injury claim from a travel company which booked your holiday in Reykjavik more appropriate?

What's the difference between a product liability claim concerning a Bull in a China shop and a bull in a china shop?

Does the first refer to Mr Bull who is upset after the bamboo dragon lamp he bought in Beijing set fire to his house or will the latter damages case come to court when a farmer is sued for allowing his prize Ayrshire to run rampant among the tea services, injuring staff and customers on the high street?

Older people often lament the lack of English grammar teaching in our schools and the reduction of standards by young people who are always in a hurry to communicate with their friends on the latest technology and have no time for the niceties of "correct" English which can be understood by all.

The law is still one of the bastions of the English language with its barristers and solicitors spending hours arguing about exactly what someone said, did or meant in order to persuade a judge of the merits of their client's cause.

And the way those words are used, both spoken and written, could make all the difference to the success or otherwise of a personal injury case so that's a very good reason for employing the best specialist lawyer you can if ever you need one he will have a special and exact understanding of English and how it should be communicated.

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