What is "communication accommodation theory"

n. A theory of communication arguing that people adjust their speech and gestures to accommodate to others with whom they are interacting.

Communication accommodation theory (CAT) is a theory of communication developed by Howard Giles. It argues that, "When people interact they adjust their speech, their vocal patterns and their gestures, to accommodate to others." It explores the various reasons why individuals emphasize or minimize the social differences between themselves and their interlocutors through verbal and nonverbal communication. This theory is concerned with the links between language, context, and identity. It focuses on both the intergroup and interpersonal factors that lead to accommodation, as well as the ways that power, macro and micro-context concerns affect communication behaviors.

This theory describes two main accommodation processes. "Convergence" refers to strategies through which individuals adapt to each other’s communicative behaviors to reduce these social differences. Meanwhile, "divergence" refers to the instances in which individuals accentuate the speech and non-verbal differences between themselves and their interlocutors. Sometimes when individuals try to engage in convergence they can also end up over-accommodating, and despite their good intentions their convergence can be seen as condescending.