Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have identified striking parallels between legal phrasing and spellcraft, defining a shared pattern that makes certain formal texts feel almost magical. The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a respected scientific journal known for cross-disciplinary studies.
Legal and religious language often reads as opaque to the untrained reader. Yet the same type of wording is a staple in official documents, including state statutes, where precision and enduring authority matter.
To probe why these texts feel so dense, the researchers examined a massive corpus, analyzing roughly 3.5 million words drawn from contract language and contrasting it with diverse written material such as film screenplays, daily newspapers, and scientific papers.
Their analysis revealed a common feature: official documents frequently insert long definitions and clarifications in the middle of sentences. Paired with specialized terminology, this structure compounds comprehension challenges and can obscure meaning for everyday readers.
As the team explains, legal language has developed a tendency to nest complex ideas within other clauses. This nesting is not unique to human communication; similar patterns appear in other linguistic systems, suggesting a deeper cognitive or rhetorical advantage in transmitting precise information.
To account for this phenomenon, the researchers proposed the so-called “magic spell hypothesis.” Spells in traditional lore are crafted with dense lexicon and particular cadence, and the hypothesis suggests that legal prose may emulate that stylistic force in order to convey authority and guarantee compliance.
In exploring this idea further, the study posits that the formal structure of legal texts serves a strategic purpose: it both communicates rules and signals jurisdiction and legitimacy, which can deter misinterpretation and disputes.
As part of their experiment, participants were asked to draft hypothetical laws banning several offenses, including impaired driving, theft, and arson. After drafting, the volunteers were asked to translate their rules into plain language accessible to readers from another culture or country.
When composing the laws, the participants used embedded, center-placed clauses to ensure legal precision. When they explained the same rules to non-experts, they naturally shifted to simpler, more direct language that preserved the core intent while improving clarity.
The researchers highlighted that these experiments point toward a future where legal texts can become easier to understand without sacrificing precision or authority. It opens avenues for drafting practices that balance formal rigor with reader accessibility.
In related historical context, scholars note episodes in the 17th century where women faced persecution for alleged witchcraft in England, an example that underscores how language and belief can intertwine to produce real-world consequences. The current work emphasizes careful wording as a safeguard against misinterpretation and injustice while acknowledging the historical weight language carries in legal and social systems.