Imagine a scenario in which your cousin prattles on and on about her wild spring break in Miami. Now imagine that she’s talking to your eighty-year-old grandmother . . . at your niece’s fifth birthday party . . . in front of a group of devoutly religious family members. These contrasting scenarios illustrate how language is bound by contexts such as our relationship with the people present, the situation we’re in, and the cultural factors at play. Does Grandma really want to hear about your cousin’s behavior? Is it really OK to talk about this at a little kid’s party? What about respecting the beliefs and sensibilities of your family members?

Communication accommodation theory (CAT) explains how language and identity shape communication in various contexts. CAT argues that competent communicators adjust their language and nonverbal behaviors (see Chapter 4) to the person, group, and context (Giles, Coupland, & Coupland, 1991; Shepherd, Giles, & LePoire, 2001; Soliz & Giles, 2010). We examine the relational, situational, and cultural contexts later in this chapter. But for now, keep in mind that communicating competently involves accommodating to context.