A civic society is distinguished by its language and its law. In this paper I suggest a theory that links these institutions via the notion of a standard contract. The theory is based upon two observations: that contracts are compiled in words, and that more common (standardized) words are easier to comprehend than less common ones. I will argue that these observations have far-reaching implications: that private contracting is restricted by past history, and that the State should play a role in the formation of contractual and legal standards.
