Accommodation Theory - Howard Giles


  • Convergence - when people adjust their dialect, accent or speech style to those of others
  • ie. To seem more friendly, or to fit in with the locals in a new area, to feel less "snobby"

  • Divergence - when a person's speech patterns become more individualized and less like those of the other person in a conversation.
  • ie. To seek covert prestige, to create a unique identity, to distance yourself from your peers

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