Prosodic features of judicial and prosecutorial speech as indicators of emotional dynamics in the Sherzat Polat’s trial

S. Badanova, R. Zh. Kondybayeva, Marina Rostislavovna ZHELTUKHINA

2026

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DOI 10.26577/ejph203320264
Data confidence 85 high
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Abstract

This article analyzes the prosodic characteristics of the judicial and prosecutorial speech within the framework of courtroom discourse, based on the case of Sherzat Polat. The aim of the study is to identify prosodic features employed by participants in courtroom discourse and to classify them according to institutional roles in order to determine distinctive characteristics that carry argumentative significance and reflect the emotional dynamics of the trial. The study advances the following hypothesis: courtroom discourse is characterized by a role-based system of prosodic parameters, most clearly manifested in argumentative segments of interrogation; these parameters are implemented unevenly and play an important role in achieving the communicative goals of trial participants. The primary research method used in the study is perceptual-acoustic analysis of prosodic characteristics as a multi-level analytical approach. Video material with a total duration of 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 48 seconds was analyzed using sentence segmentation (average segment length: 6–11 seconds) with the assistance of PRAAT tools. The analysis revealed specific prosodic strategies used to implement communicative functions, including those that significantly influence the course of the trial. The value of the study lies in providing the first systematic description of the prosodic features of Kazakh-language courtroom discourse within a unified perceptual-acoustic framework, contributing to the fields of forensic linguistics and forensic phonetics. The practical significance of the work lies in the potential application of the findings in forensic linguistic expertise, in the communicative training of legal professionals, and in the analysis of audio and video recordings of court proceedings. Keywords: courtroom discourse; prosodic features of judicial and prosecutorial speech; argumentative strategy; indicators of emotional dynamics; Kazakhstan; Kazakh language.