Stylistic Study Of English Notarial Discourse
Abstract
This article systematically analyzes the stylistic features of English notarial discourse. Notarial discourse is a special type of legal language style, distinguished by its specific lexical, grammatical, and textual features. The main aim of the study is to describe the stylistic devices constituting notarial discourse on the basis of register theory (field, tenor, mode) and to reveal their communicative functions. The study uses stylistic analysis, linguistic description, and comparative methods. As a result, the following stylistic layers of notarial discourse were identified: at the lexical level – archaisms (witnesseth, hereunto, aforesaid), Latinisms (jurat, ex parte, prima facie), French borrowings (attorn, estoppel, lien), highly formal vocabulary, and doublet and triplet expressions (null and void; give, devise, and bequeath); at the grammatical level – nominal style and nominalization, the predominance of passive constructions, complex and extended sentences (up to 95 words), and the strict obligatory meaning of modal verbs (shall, must); at the textual level – high standardization and stereotypicality, repetition and redundancy (tautology), strategies of impersonality and objectivity, contrast, antithesis, and enumeration. The article also discusses the influence of the Plain Legal Language movement and electronic notarization on notarial discourse, namely simplification, reduction of archaisms, and the introduction of new technological terms (electronic signature, remote notarization). In conclusion, the stylistic system of English notarial discourse serves to ensure legal precision, formality, international recognition, and professional identification; modern tendencies are gradually developing toward simplification and technological renewal. The article has theoretical and practical significance for specialists engaged in legal linguistics, stylistics, and discourse analysis.