A Systematic Functional Analysis of Cricket Commentary of Pakistan VS Australia One-Day Match

Abstract

This study examines the linguistic input of language used in cricket commentary and how it contributes to the engagement of viewers, as well as their understanding of the nuances of live sports events. Guided by the Hallidayan Model of Language and Discourse with its three metafunctions ideational, interpersonal, and textual, the research primarily aims to examine the linguistic features that operate in live cricket commentary. It was extracted from LIVE data from the cricket commentary session, where there is a verbal conversation between commentators’ face to face. The results mark the functional role of language in commentary to mediate sociomathematical meaning instead of simply describing the meaning. This suggests that ideational metafunction allows commentaries to have a live description of what is taking place on the playing field, thereby facilitating the viewers in understanding the match going on. Commentators were reporting first-hand accounts of events to which viewers would be able to relate, making this interpersonal metafunction connecting commentators and viewers in such a way that it would encourage audience participation and shared experience. The Textual metafunction: This metafunction is responsible for coherence and continuity in the text, it helps the audience keep up with the fast-paced game. Moreover, the study underscores the impact of contextual factors (field, tenor, and mode) on the language used in commentary. The best commentators practiced make watching significantly better by adding humor, suspense, and community, especially during dead time in a game. Overall, the analysis highlights that while cricket commentary the importance of cricket commentary as a complex and dynamic mode of communication enhances the viewer's experience and contributes to making meaning within the discourse practices of live sports. This suggests the importance of language in sports communication as well as its power to either engage or disengage audiences and to influence audience perception.