Accommodation Theory Flashcards
Who and when came up with this theory?
Howard Giles 1970s
What does the theory suggest?
That we adjust our speech to accommodate the person/people we are addressing
What does accommodation result in?
Convergence and Divergence
When does convergence occur?
When we move our speech closer to that of the other person’s
(this is more common)
When does divergence occur?
When people’s speech styles more further apart
What does convergence have the effect of?
Decreasing the social distance between speakers
What is downward convergence?
When a person may alter their accent to accommodate people of a lower class than them
Example of downward convergence:
An RP speaker toning down their accent when speaking to someone from a working class background as they are afraid their accent may set them apart
What is upward convergence?
When someone with more of a regional accent modifies it closer to RP
Example of upward convergence:
Someone with a strong regional accent comes in for an interview and attempts to eliminate regional features from their speech in order to move closer to RP
What is an important influence on accommodation and what does this mean?
Social Status - because of this, it is more likely that someone with a subordinate status is more likely to converge towards something more superior than the other way around. Therefore upward convergence is more common
What is it called when both participants converge their speech styles?
Mutual convergence
Who did an investigation into convergence and when?
Coupland 1984
What did Coupland investigate?
The speech of a woman from Cardiff travel agency who modified her speech to fit the speech style of her clients
What does divergence have the effect of?
Emphasising the differences between people
