Excerpts from
Communication accommodation theory: “Hamilton; An American musical”
Kate Hayter
Department of Public Relations: NSCC
PREL 5006: Media Literacy
Andrea MacDonald
November 30, 2020
Introduction
Every day people make choices about what to say, and how to say it. CAT is short for communications accommodation theory and was developed by sociolinguist Howard Giles in 1971. The theory suggests that when people communicate, they adjust their speech, vocal patterns, gestures and body language to accommodate others. Examples in interpersonal interactions would include adopting jargon, tone, slang words, or even the accent of the person you’re speaking with if you’re trying to fit in. In short, it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. Most seasoned parents can deliver the directive “Go to bed” with at least three different intonations, ranging from sing-song suggestion to three very sharp and clipped words with a flick of the light switch.
This analysis seeks to explore the main tenants of communication accommodation theory and investigate how adjustments in style of speech, visual cues and body language can significantly impact the reception of messages and content.
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Hamilton; An American Musical; a case study
As a pop culture phenomenon that resonated across many demographics, “Hamilton; An American Musical,” is an example of intentional communication accommodations like no other.
“The musical is by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the story, music and lyrics. It stresses the orphan, immigrant roots of first U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and has a terrifically varied score, ranging from pop ballads to gospel to sexy R&B. It has been cheered for reclaiming the nation’s founding story with a multicultural cast.” (Kennedy, 2016)
There are two significant ground-breaking visual and linguistic communication accommodations made in Hamilton; how they are saying what they say, and who’s saying it.
America’s founding fathers were all white and many owned slaves. The Hamilton cast leads are predominantly people of color.
This intentional choice primed the socio-political and ethnically diverse audience to “hear” Alexander Hamilton’s story through a new filter. A young cast of color instead of white actors in dusty wigs instantly visually enabled open-mindedness about the framing of historical facts being presented.
“This is a story about America then, told by America now, and we want to eliminate any distance. Our story should look the way our country looks. That’ll be the note that goes with the school productions,” adds Manuel. “If this show ends up looking like the actual founding fathers, you messed up.” (Manuel in Weinert-Kendt, 2015)
With a stage full of culturally diverse actors in period costumes, Hamilton delivers its historical content through modern musical numbers. Slavery is addressed in the first verse of the first song and the audience is given permission to suspend disbelief and embrace the unique vehicle through which the message is being delivered.
Miranda’s deliberate choice to deliver what could have been dry historical content through modern day music and linguistic styles delivered by a culturally diverse cast resonated with a huge audience. The communication accommodations made established a commonality across demographics. Hamilton created a sense of unity and shared experience.
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Conclusion
The visual and verbal styling choices and the communication accommodations of Hamilton make it a master class in efficient communication. The success of this unlikely musical lies in its mass appeal to culturally diverse audiences. The ability for pop culture offerings to find purchase in mass media and even affect the political landscape offers further proof that adjusting your style of speech to the intended audience can get people to listen to the most unexpected of stories.
Hamilton is the most successful musical in Broadway history.