Social morality, rules and law

The English word "law" (Scandinavian borrowing) refers to limits upon various forms of behavior. Some laws are descriptive - they simply describe how people usually behave. Other laws are prescriptive - they prescribe how people ought to behave.

In all societies, relations between people are regulated by prescriptive laws. Some of them are customs, that is, informal rules of social and moral behavior. Some are rules we accept if we belong to particular social institutions, such as religious, educational and cultural group. And some are precise laws made by nations and enforced against all citizens within their power.

Customs need not be made by governments, and they need not be written down. We learn how we should behave in society through the instruction of family and teachers, the advice of friends, and our own experiences. The rules of social institutions tend to be more formal than customs. Governments often consider anti-social behavior not simply as a matter between two individuals but as a danger to the well-being and order of society as a whole. The laws made by the government of one country are often very different from the laws of another country. Law today is, to a large extent, a complex of different and relatively independent national systems.

Task 1. Practice to pronounce the words given below:

Scandinavian, borrowing, custom, behavior, society, religious, precise, enforce, government, experience, individual, extent, independent

Task 2. Find the English equivalents to the following words and phrases:

заимствование, описательный закон, предписывающий закон, отношения, жизненный опыт, социальное и этическое поведение, ограничение форм поведения, социальные институты, личность, благосостояние и правопорядок в обществе

Task 3. Match the English words and word combinations with their Russian equivalents.

1) различные формы поведения	a) to enforce the laws
2) определенные законы	b) well- being
3) проводить законы в жизнь	c) to a great extent
4) благополучие	d) independent national systems
5) в целом	e) precise laws
6) в значительной степени	f) various forms of behavior
7)независимые государственные системы	g) as whole
8) социальные институты	h) limits upon forms of behavior
9) порядок	i) order
10) ограничения форм поведения	j) social institutions

Task 4. Derive

1. nouns from the following verbs:

   to borrow -	to instruct -
   to behave -	to govern -
   to rule -	to relate -
   to enforce -

2. adjectives from the following verbs

to describe -

to prescribe -

to educate -

Task 5. Say if the following statements are True or False. If the statement is false, comment on the true one:

1. Social customs and rules are both enforced by governments.

2. Many laws reflect social customs.

3. The ways in which people talk, eat and drink are regulated by law made by governments.

4. Relations between people are regulated by customs, rules of social institutions and government-made laws.

5. The laws made by the government of one country are almost identical to the laws of all other countries of the world.

Task 6. Answer the following questions:

1. What does the word “law” refer to?

2. What are descriptive and prescriptive law?

3. What regulates the relations between people?

4. What is the difference between the customs and the rules of social behavior?

5. How do we learn to behave in society?

6. What is law today?

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