First Dominican Legal Dictionary Presented by Three Academic Institutions

The Escuela Nacional de la Judicatura (National Judicial College), the Academia Dominicana de la Lengua (Dominican Academy of Language), and the Instituto Guzmán Ariza de Lexicografía presented the Diccionario jurídico dominicano (DJD), the first general academic work dedicated to Dominican legal terminology, directed by jurist and lexicographer Fabio J. Guzmán Ariza.

Published in two volumes totaling 1,387 pages, the work gathers 10,056 defined terms, 11,201 meanings, and 12,716 citations from legal and jurisprudential sources that back the definitions or document the usage of terms within Dominican law. Its preparation took five years and eight months.

"Today marks the culmination of nearly six years of work leading a broad team of jurists committed to realizing a project that began taking shape a decade ago," stated Guzmán Ariza during the launch event held at the Supreme Court of Justice auditorium.

The work aims to contribute to the plain language movement. Although primarily aimed at legal professionals and students, it was designed so that any citizen can consult and understand legal terms found in statutes, judicial decisions, and other legal texts. As Guzmán Ariza noted during the presentation, "understanding the rules that govern us should not be a privilege of jurists, but a right of all citizens."

Due to the continuous evolution of legislation and jurisprudence, the DJD is conceived as a living work, open to critique, correction, and updates. During his remarks, Guzmán Ariza proposed establishing a permanent team to monitor legislative reforms, examine jurisprudential developments, and prepare periodic updates.

Guzmán Ariza highlighted the institutional support of Justice Luis Henry Molina; the work of Dariel Suárez Adames and Ángel Brito Pujols, who directed the Escuela Nacional de la Judicatura during different stages of the dictionary’s development; and the constant lexicographical advice of Ruth Ruiz Pérez, corresponding member of the Academia Dominicana de la Lengua.

The event was attended by judicial, academic, and governmental authorities, as well as judges, lawyers, professors, project contributors, and representatives from the Dominican legal and linguistic communities.

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