As has been explained in other articles, speech style can be an important part of group membership, for example, the strength of one’s accent can be an indicator of how strongly a person identifies with being from the particular area. However, people do not always stick to their usual speech pattern, and may dissociate from the speech style of their particular group when it suits them to do so. This is generally explained with Giles’ speech accommodation theory. Within this theory, there are two reasons why one would adjust from their typical speech pattern. Firstly, to allow another to understand what they are saying better, and secondly to convey a certain impression of themselves to the other person.
Typically, this ‘accommodation’ of speech to audience takes the form of bilateral speech convergence. This is where the higher status speaker of the two will shift their style downwards to accommodate for the lower status speaker, and the lower status speaker will shift their style upwards. This reduces the dissimilarity between the two accents, which means that the two people will feel more alike, and so will usually like each other better. However, this will only occur if there is no intergroup relationships to get in the way of communications. On the other hand, when two people identify with particular groups and there is a perceived higher status of one group compared to the other, speech divergence can occur. The speaker from the higher status group will naturally shift up their style of speaking to increase the differences between them and the lower group member, which helps them to solidify their higher status. What the lower status speaker does will depend on whether they want to change groups, and also on whether they believe it is possible for them to change groups. If they do want to move and feel they can, they will shift up their style, but if they are comfortable where they are, or feel that there is no way they can move, then they will shift their speech style down, creating further divergence, showing the other talker that they are comfortable where they are, and that they do not want to be in the higher status group. It has been shown that Welsh speakers tend to emphasise their Welsh accent more when in the presence of Queen’s English speakers to differentiate themselves.
Researchers believe that how we adjust our speech may actually be based on stereotypes that we have of appropriate speech. When individuals converge or diverge their speech patterns it is with regards to this stereotype, and so while someone may feel like they are converging on their stereotype of appropriate speech, they may actually be diverging from the norm, because their stereotype is faulty. As people’s stereotypes of what is acceptable change, the way they approach conversations will change. Analysis of Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas speech broadcasts over the last 50 years has shown that as popular stereotypes of speech have changed, the Queen’s vowels have become less pronounced and more standard. Theorists suggest this may be related to a softening of the boundaries between social classes over the last 50 years.
Today, accommodation theory has been revised to include non-verbal communication as well, which also appears to undergo changes dependant on audience. For example, amount of eye-contact with another appears to converge to match what the other is doing. This research may not offer many real world opportunities for application, but it does show us once again how strong an affect social change and intergroup relations in society can have on our behaviour, and also can act as a warning that we should watch how we use our language so as not to strengthen boundaries between groups.
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