Celebrity prenuptial agreements are legal contracts that some famous people sign prior to marrying, with the goal of protecting their assets and interests in case of divorce. These legal documents often contain clauses about spousal support, property division, and other issues related to marital dissolution. In recent years, celebrity prenuptial agreements have garnered significant media attention. In fact, one prominent center for language and education, The Center for Applied Linguistics, recognized this trend and launched a research project devoted to the phenomenon in Marital Linguistics. Some may wonder what link there is between celebrity prenuptial agreements and The Center for Applied Linguistics. But linguistically and culturally, they are intimately connected.
Language is a fascinating and complex tool. We use it to communicate not only day-to-day elements of life, but also legal and cultural ones. The language of law is also intertwined with culture and education. So how are language and celebrity prenuptial agreements connected? Right off the bat, we know that they’re legal documents. But, looking deeper, we see that they also contain linguistically complex items such as clauses, sub-clauses, conjunctions, and the like. Some couples choose not to sign prenuptial agreements because they don’t want to have to hire a lawyer and make their marriage sound like a contract, but they can’t escape the fact that the document and the negotiations that made it happen are very professional and legally binding, not to mention binding with cultural relevance. In short, language – and particularly legalese – is involved in the document creation process. As a matter of fact, the type of language and vocabulary that goes into it is an important part of the final product, which is the reason why legal language specialists go to school to learn linguistic, cultural, and educational skills, as well as how to master language both in the spoken form and the written form.
Often, legal language specialists are called in to help translate prenuptial agreements, which is often one written document in two languages to make sure that both parties understand what they’re getting into from a legal perspective. Many factors are involved in these types of prenuptial agreements, from joint citizenship to children bearing the names of both parents to domestic requirements and laws regarding marriages, divorces, and more.
Examples of celebrity prenuptial agreements abound throughout the media. From Gwen Stefani to Blake Shelton to a variety of other famous individuals, celebrity prenuptial agreements make interesting reading. Some celebrities have even had them in place prior to marrying for a second time, which many people assume signals some type of uneasiness over a marital situation, but might just be the adult response.
Linguistic science aside, prenuptial agreements are still legal documents and can significantly impact marriages that do not end in divorce…but it’s hard not to see the language element and how it contributes to the bottom line.
For more information on the legal aspects of prenuptial agreements, you can visit Wikipedia.