ИСТИНА

Rhetorical potential of negation and its implications for spoken discourse have been a subject of academic interest in both their pragmatic and linguistic aspects. At the same time negation carries a lot of weight in written discourses, particularly argumentative ones. The present research focuses on pragmatic aspects of negation as part of the study of linguistic aspects of written judicial discourse. Specifically, treating negation as a marker of polyphony can reveal deeply embedded mechanisms of discursive interaction between the participants of judicial discourse. Thus, the aim of the research is to identify linguistic means of negation and possible interpretations thereof. The author examines the UK law reports, analyzes the submissions of the claimants and responses of the judges. The analysis of pragmatic negation as a marker of polyphony has shown that negation and its mechanisms shape the discursive interaction of the participants of the judicial discourse.