DISCOURSE ANALYSIS AND GRICE’S COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLE IN IGBO PHONE-IN RADIO PROGRAMME

Abstract

Discourse analysis is a sub-area of linguistics that focuses on knowledge about language beyond the word, clause, phrase and sentence that is needed for successful communication. In speech events (like phone-in radio programmes), some participants violate the cooperative principle, thereby giving a minus to the communicative effect of their speech. This is what prompted the researchers to undertake a study on discourse and cooperative principle with Igbo radio phone-in programme as a case study. The study is a qualitative and descriptive research which anchors on the Grice’s (1975) cooperative principle. The data for the analysis were from live radio phone-in programme from Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, (FRCN) Enugu. It was discovered that some participants in the radio programme due to their personal aspirations, violated the principle of quantity and manner. The paper then suggests that for better communicative effect, people should be mindful of the cooperative principle in the course of their discussion.