voir dire - 03/24/03 02:00 PM
Before the judge enters for the voir dire, a court official
cries Oyez,Oyez, Oyez.
Q. What is the meaning of the word "Oyez"?
A. OYEZ project takes its name from the phrase by which the Marshal of the Court calls the courtroom to order. OYEZ is pronounced "o-yay" or "o-yez" or "o-yes." It is used three times in succession to introduce the opening of a court of law. The origin of the word Oyez is Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, hear ye, imperative plural of oyer, to hear. from Latin audire.
The history of OYEZ is illuminating. "Hearing the cry 'Oyez, oyez, oyez' in a courtroom may have puzzled more than one auditor, especially if pronounced 'o-yes.' This cry serves to remind us that up until the 18th century, speaking English in a British court of law was not required and that one could use Law French, a form of French that evolved after the Norman Conquest, when Anglo-Norman became the language of the official class in England. Oyez descends from the Anglo-Norman oyez, the plural imperative of oyer, 'to hear'; thus oyez means 'hear ye' and was used as a call for silence and attention. Although it would have been much heard in Medieval England, it is first recorded as an English word fairly late in the Middle English period, in a work composed around 1425.
cries Oyez,Oyez, Oyez.
Q. What is the meaning of the word "Oyez"?
A. OYEZ project takes its name from the phrase by which the Marshal of the Court calls the courtroom to order. OYEZ is pronounced "o-yay" or "o-yez" or "o-yes." It is used three times in succession to introduce the opening of a court of law. The origin of the word Oyez is Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, hear ye, imperative plural of oyer, to hear. from Latin audire.
The history of OYEZ is illuminating. "Hearing the cry 'Oyez, oyez, oyez' in a courtroom may have puzzled more than one auditor, especially if pronounced 'o-yes.' This cry serves to remind us that up until the 18th century, speaking English in a British court of law was not required and that one could use Law French, a form of French that evolved after the Norman Conquest, when Anglo-Norman became the language of the official class in England. Oyez descends from the Anglo-Norman oyez, the plural imperative of oyer, 'to hear'; thus oyez means 'hear ye' and was used as a call for silence and attention. Although it would have been much heard in Medieval England, it is first recorded as an English word fairly late in the Middle English period, in a work composed around 1425.