Natural Meaning

“Throughout most of history, people have considered the author to be the locus of meaning…. But in recent decades the discussion has progressed beyond the exclusion of the author—and even beyond the exclusive focus upon the text itself.” - Kenneth Berding

The law “requires that ‘undefined words be given their natural and ordinary meaning, without forced or subtle construction that would limit or extend the meaning of the language, except when a contrary intention is clearly manifest.’” Jurist