Destructive Discourse in the Modern Conditionsof Belarusian-Russian Bilingualism

The study presents the findings of a study of Belarusian destructive discourse in the comparative aspect of the language code used (the Belarusian and Russian languages). Destructive discourse in the paper is understood in the legal linguistic aspect as a practice of verbal interaction, the content of which does not correspond to the dispositions of the legal field. In this regard, texts sent by investigative and inquiry bodies and courts for linguistic examination were used as factual research material (in total, 74 units were selected for 2021-2023: 56 Russian-speaking, 18 Belarusian-speaking). The quantitative parameters of the studied texts correlate with statistical data on the preferences of Belarusian citizens in using language as a means of interpersonal and institutional communication. As a result of the analysis, it was established that there are no serious discrepancies in the extralinguistic characteristics of conflict-producing texts. They are subject to active digitalization and gravitate towards small genre forms. At the same time, Belarusian-language texts are less likely to have a creolized form. More differences are found in the sociolinguistic portrait of the subject of the destructive discourse implementation: a Belarusian-speaking delinquent usually has a higher education and is older in age. Male participants dominate in both types of destructive communication.