Abstract
English speakers can be identified by their way of pronunciation; be it with a British accent, American accent, Ghanaian accent, etc. It is interesting, however, to note that during communication, people tend to sound like their fellow interlocutors. The way communicants adapt to each other's communicative behaviours has been termed "accommodation" which stems from Giles' Speech Accommodation Theory, in the 1970s. Per the theory, a person may either converge to or diverge from their fellow interlocutor based on the attitude they may have about the speaker, language, or accent. This study explores the possible reasons for conscious convergence and divergence among some University of Ghana students. Using a questionnaire, the researcher found out from participants whether or not they will converge to a British speaker of English. The responses were grouped under themes and analysed. The responses showed that possible reasons for convergence and divergence include fluency, societal prestige, identity, preference, effective communication, etc. Thus, an indication of the possibility of conscious convergence and conscious divergence.
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