Language desk
< August 15	<< Jul \| August \| Sep >>	Current desk >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

August 16

Tobacco Act 1608 Golf Act 1158 Act to Amend Basic Law 1940 LegCo Act 1997

(Legislative Council)

When did Westminster-style Parliament law names start sounding cool and futuristic like that and why?

U.S. law names sometimes sound like how I would've guessed British laws were before the names got less traditional. Like the Judiciary Act of 1789, Gun Control Act of 1968, Volstead Act or the Patriot Act.

Other US law names are a little different: (if any are real it's an accident)

US: (the) Lilly Leadbetter Memorial Support our Troops Act of 2000

UK: Military Pay Act 2000

US: (the) Protect our Homeland from Terrorists, Drugs and Criminals Act of 2001

UK: Border Wall Act 2001

US: (the) Taking Dangerous Assault Weapons out of the Hands of our Kids Act of 1990

UK: Firearms Act 1990

US: (the) Right to Life Act of 2001

UK: Abortion Act 2001

US: (the) Frank R. Lautenberg Justice and Peace for Rwandans Act of 1994

UK: Rwanda Act 1994

So either you retroactively dropped the "of" from old names or they amazingly weren't there till American independence. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 23:37, 16 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The full name of the Patriot Act is "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001". --Lambiam 06:19, 17 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The British analogue is the Terrorism Act 2000.

To be fair, British laws have short and long titles. The House of Lords Act 1999 is its short title, whereas the long title is An Act to restrict membership of the House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage; to make related provision about disqualifications for voting at elections to, and for membership of, the House of Commons; and for connected purposes.

A law called the Short Titles Act 1896 allowed a whole heap of old laws going back to 1351 to be officially known by a short title. Alansplodge (talk) 14:44, 17 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, I didn't know that. If they're all that wordy then I can see why the short versions are popular. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 15:33, 17 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

In the US, short titles are known as "popular names": see [1] and [2]. Oddly, this isn't mentioned at Short and long titles. Marnanel (talk) 15:14, 17 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

It seems acronyms have become very popular in US lawmaking. 93.136.64.98 (talk) 05:19, 18 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

In the UK, the parliamentary draughtsman does not approve of sloganeering bill titles, and can (and does) change titles that offend. For example, "Great Repeal Bill" being changed to the much less "interesting" name European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 at the insistence of the parliamentary draughtsman. --49.255.185.235 (talk) 04:27, 19 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]