What makes us subconsciously mimic the accents of others in conversation

[marmar]

What makes us subconsciously mimic the accents of others in conversation
"Linguistic convergence” is something you’ve likely done at some point

By LACEY WADE
PUBLISHED MAY 30, 2022 9:00AM


This article was originally published on The Conversation.

Have you ever caught yourself talking a little bit differently after listening to someone with a distinctive way of speaking?

Perhaps you'll pepper in a couple of y'all's after spending the weekend with your Texan mother-in-law. Or you might drop a few R's after binge-watching a British period drama on Netflix.

Linguists call this phenomenon "linguistic convergence," and it's something you've likely done at some point, even if the shifts were so subtle you didn't notice.

People tend to converge toward the language they observe around them, whether it's copying word choices, mirroring sentence structures or mimicking pronunciations.

....(snip)....

What, exactly, is convergence?

But before getting into the specifics, let's talk about what convergence is and how it's related to other speech adjustments like code-switching, which refers to alternating between language varieties, or style-shifting, which happens when a person uses different linguistic features in different situations.

Convergence refers to the shifts people make to their speech to approximate that of those around them. This is an intentionally broad definition meant to encompass all sorts of adjustments, whether intentional or inadvertent, prominent or subtle, or toward entire dialects or particular linguistic features. .............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2022/05/30/what-makes-us-subconsciously-mimic-the-accents-of-others-in-conversation_partner/