Synchrony and diachrony in law:

dualities of time and space

Abstract

This article is about the categories of “synchrony” and “diachrony”, developed by the linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, and their relationship with Law. The general objective was to compile some appropriations of these two linguistic constructions made by jurists, mainly. The specific objective was to open space for a broader reflection on the possible connections between legal science and linguistics. For that, a bibliographic review was carried out, compiling citations that make references to these two categories. By allowing the analysis of norms from different places and times, and even of legal systems as a whole, we conclude that the synchronic perspective and the diachronic perspective of analysiscan serve as interesting keys to understanding various phenomena and legal institutes, as well as, from a methodological point of view, can be useful as research instruments in academic practice by placing the object of study between two axes capable of revealing its current state and its process of evolution throughout history.