ABSTRACT

This chapter foregrounds research on communication accommodation theory (CAT) in institutional contexts. We discuss how CAT has been used in social institutions and organizations to explore and understand the communication dynamics of those settings. We specifically examine the distinctive features of research in institutional contexts, the diverse nature of the data that has been analyzed over the past 20 years, and the emphasis on the sociocultural-historical context of this research. We then describe both the traditional (police, organizational, health, and education) as well as newly emerging areas of research. The expansion of this research demonstrates how CAT has established itself as a general theory of language and communication behavior that can promote change within institutions and move into less traditional areas of communication such as dance. We conclude with a discussion on opportunities and challenges for research in the future with an emphasis on translating research into practice.