Subject: Re: [NEXTEL-1] JEN-SHENN SONG v. The Nexthell

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 09:12:36 EST

In a message dated 1/14/2003 3:10:04 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
[email-masked] writes:

> >> 9. Finally, we reject Nextel’s argument that, because we did not reinstate 
>> Song’s license
>> nunc pro tunc, Song must select a new site that will protect Nextel’s 
>> co-channel
>> facilities.   
> Don't you just love the sound of lawyer-speak?
> -rick

It's actually Latin (which thank goodness one doesn't have to take as a 
course to get into law school anymore), and in this case has a particular 
significance.  In America we all use Latin terms (as well as French, Greek, 
Spanish, etc.) all the time in everyday conversation, most people are just 
not aware of it because it's because an accepted part of English.   "Et 
cetera" would be a good example, as would "et. al.", and "ibid" (short for 
ibidem) when one uses footnotes.  "Moot" is another example (and one that 
non-lawyers often confuse with "mute").

You wouldn't see nunc pro tunc come up in ordinary discussions, because it 
only has legal significance.  It is a "... phrase applied to acts allowed to 
be done after the time when they should be done, with a retroactive effect, 
i.e. with the same effect as if regularly done."  Other Latin terms that you 
will find crop up in legal proceedings (but rarely elsewhere) include supra 
and inter alia.

Certainly, engineering has it's own "speak" which means little to anyone 
outside of the field, and much of which is based upon Greek terms (mu, for 
example), and has it's own sort of lyrical quality.

Personally, I've always been amused by the drug references that we have in 
land mobile, as we have dealers, users and PCP (private carrier paging).

Alan