Faith, displacement, and intergenerational relationships: a communication accommodation theory approach to the Ethiopian Orthodox diaspora
Published in Language and Intercultural Communication, 2026
This qualitative study applies Communication Accommodation Theory to intergenerational communication between first- and second-generation Ethiopian Americans in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church diaspora. Drawing on ethnographic observations and interviews, it examines how parents and adult children negotiate religious, cultural, and hybrid identities through communicative and embodied practices.
The article extends Communication Accommodation Theory by foregrounding culturally specific Ethiopian regulators such as yilugnta, sene-sirat, and kibir. It shows that communicative divergence can function as strategic cultural preservation rather than simply as communication failure.
Recommended citation: Workneh, Téwodros W., Lin, Mei-Chen, & Chala, Endalkachew. (2026). "Faith, displacement, and intergenerational relationships: a communication accommodation theory approach to the Ethiopian Orthodox diaspora." Language and Intercultural Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2026.2690268
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