JUDICIAL SPEECH: AN EXPLICATIVE NARRATIVE OR A HIDDEN DIALOGUE?

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of monologic and dialogical features of American judicial speeches, which facilitate speech interaction between the participants of the court session. The subject of the study are the English texts of judicial speeches. The subject of the study are the functional and semantic features of the textual organization of modern American judicial speeches. In the given paper the style belonging of the judicial speech is considered; the concept of «judicial speech» is clarifi ed, taking into account its functional and semantic features; the directions of the speech impact between the participants of the court session are clarifi ed; and an attempt to determine the communicative and functional structure of judicial speech is made. As a result of the conducted research it has been established that the judicial speech is characterized by a high level of organization and controlled speech events that regulate social relations within the court session. Since the number of roles and functions of the participants in the judicial discussion is clearly defi ned at the legislative level, a communication of a competing nature is conducted between the main participants of the court session, whichare both professionals (judge, prosecutor and defense attorney) and ordinary citizens (juries), one of the manifestations of which is an oratory by a defense counsel.