Evaluative discourse in the coverage of sports in Finnish TV

Authors

• Janne Romppainen University of Oulu, Faculty of Humanities, Languages and Literature Research Unit, Finnish language

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23997/pk.127454

Keywords:

appraisal theory, discourse analysis, evaluation, sports broadcast

Abstract

This paper examines the evaluative discourse of Finnish sports broadcasts. The study includes
examples from sixteen different games of football and basketball. As a study method, I have
used the appraisal theory, whereas for the conclusions I apply the ideas of discourse analysis.
According to the results of this study, the discourse of broadcasts is extremely positive and
focuses on successful processes within the game. The discourse can also be described as
individualized and ability-centered, whereas expressions of emotion were rare. The expressed
negative evaluations were mostly targeted to acts, and only seldom to individual players. Th
main features of the discourse were similar between men’s and women’s leagues, but a more
nuanced examination also uncovers differences between the representation of genders.