COMMUNICATION ACCOMMODATION THEORY

Communication Accommodation Theory is a theory in which people adjust or minimize their speech in a most assuring way to fit certain situations to communicate with others.

As stated by Griffin in his book, A First Look At Accomodation Theory (2012) the 3 ways to adapt to this theory are :

1)  Convergence – it is when people alter their speech patterns for the sake of impersonating whom they are with.

2) Divergence – it is when people change their actions so that it holds opposing views from the other person’s behavior.

3) Over Accommodation – it is when people make several attempts and overdo it in an exaggerated manner for a reason to modify and respond to others. Others usually find this unpleasant.

For example :

I remember watching this Indonesian Drama last week about two young couple who have opposite behavior and personality. Andika and Amanda who grew in totally different phase of life. Andika came from a rich and well-mannered elite family, while Amanda came from a working class family and is very eccentric. Both of them have been dating for a while and one day Andika decided to bring Amanda home and introduce her to his family. 


In preparation to meet Andika’s family, Amanda tried to crawl out of her comfort zone by dressing properly and dolling up; wearing a dress as if she is going to go out for a romantic dinner. Seeing that, Andika was so surprised because normally Amanda would wear something unladylike ; short baggy pants, t-shirt and a cap. Amanda explained to him that she just wanted them to like her. In this case, we can clearly tell that Amanda is trying to impress Andika’s parents by dressing up and act they way that she should. She also changed her voice so that it sounds proper when she talked to his parents. Her speech changes and this relates to Communication Accommodation Theory that language is a sign about social status. Clearly, Amanda is accommodating Andika’s parents because she knew the expectations Andika’s parents want for Andika’s girlfriend.

It is obvious that language and behaviors are very useful in determining the social status of a person. Amanda used convergence with regards of her outfit. Divergence was spotted when Andika’s young sister skipped dinner with the family because she did not like Amanda from the moment she saw her. Over-accommodation was not shown in the example as Amanda did not show anything that might offend his family especially Andika’s parents. Overall, Communication Accommodation Theory can be tied to many situations. Often times, people tend to alter their speech and behavior to accommodate others.

References :

Griffin, E (2012) A First Look At Communication Theory. Wheaton :McGraw Hill.