Achieving Optimal Relevance through Maxims Flouting: A Pragma-Stylistic Study of British Commentary on FIFA World Cup 2022

الملخص

This study investigates how British football radio commentators strategically flout Grice’s conversational maxims to produce exaggerated and engaging commentary that achieves optimal relevance. The central problem lies in understanding how non-literal language, which superficially violates cooperative norms, enhances listener engagement and communicative efficiency. The study aims to explore the intersection of pragmatics and stylistics in live football commentary, particularly how flouted maxims and stylistic devices contribute to emotional and cognitive audience responses. The research hypothesises that (1) the flouting of Gricean maxims enhances emotional and cognitive engagement, and (2) stylistic exaggeration contributes directly to achieving optimal relevance. The data comprises selected excerpts from BBC radio commentaries during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Employing a qualitative pragma-stylistic methodology, the study combines Grice’s maxims, Relevance Theory, and stylistic analysis. Although qualitative, the research incorporates frequency data to identify patterns and reinforce qualitative interpretations. Findings reveal that quality, quantity, and manner maxims are frequently flouted with stylistic devices such as metaphor, hyperbole, and exclamation. These strategies create utterances with high cognitive effects and low processing effort, producing vivid, emotionally resonant commentary. The study concludes that flouting maxims in live football discourse is not a failure but a deliberate strategy to engage and entertain the audience.