Post-match interviews in New Zealand rugby : a conciliatory media interview genre

Abstract

In this article I explore the way New Zealand English speakers use language in post-match interviews after professional televised rugby games. More specifically, I focus on the linguistic features that serve to create the tone of this particular interview genre. What I will demonstrate is that features of interviewer conduct such as the use of terms of endearment, tokens of commiseration and congratulations, a focus on positive experiences, complimenting and praising, and the use of humour help to create a conciliatory interview experience. These features and this tone of interview differ remarkably from other media interviews that have been frequently explored in the media discourse literature, such as political interviews. In the discussion I explore this point further by comparing the social contexts of both the post-match interview and the more adversarial political interview in an attempt to account for the conciliatory fashion in which post-match interviews are carried out. Suggestions for future research are also explored.