THE COMMUNICATIVE MODE OF MENTATIVE

Summary The way of speaking in judicial discourse is determined by a strictly established «ritual» and the role of each participant in the process, which cannot be changed. Therefore, each litigant is recommended to have a different style of speech behavior or a certain communicative mode. A speech style generates certain patterns – ways of speaking in court. So, the article is devoted to the specific features of the communicative mode of mentative in judicial discourse, as well as the changing patterns of speech behaviour of participants in the judicial process. During the process of investigation, the following research methods have been used: linguistic observation and analysis as well as cognitive method, pragmatic analysis method, critical discourse analysis method. These methods have allowed us to establish the organization of the discursive space of judicial discourse in diachrony as well as transformation of linguistic means in the mentative. Moreover, this study sheds light on the change of patterns of speech behaviour in the mentative communicative mode. To sum up, compared to the other communicative modes in the judicial narrative, the communicative mode of mentative can be considered the least changed.