(your parents kiss you, and you learn about
kissing—whom, when, and where to kiss),
observation (you observe your parents
kneeling at church and learn about correct
behavior in a religious setting), and imita-
tion (you laugh at the same jokes your par-
ents laugh at, and you learn about humor).
Theformalteaching of a culture is far more structured and is often left to the vari-
ous social institutions of the culture, such as schools and churches. When a school
system teaches computer skills, grammar, history, or calculus, it is giving the members
of a culture the tools and information the culture deems important. When a child has
a Sunday school lesson focusing on the Ten Commandments, he or she is learning
about ethical behavior. At times, it is difficult to distinguish between informal and
formal learning, as culture influences you from the instant you are born. In addition,
much of cultural learning is subconscious, and in most instances, you are rarely aware
of many of the messages that it sends. This unconscious or hidden dimension of cul-
ture leads many researchers to claim that culture is invisible. There is even a well-
respected book about culture by Edward T. Hall titledThe Hidden Dimension.^31 The
title is intended to call attention to the important premise that the“messages”and
“lessons”of culture are so subtle that you seldom see them“coming in”or getting
“acted out.”Most of you would have a difficult time pointing to a specific event or
experience that taught you to stand when an important person enters the room or
how to employ direct eye contact during a job interview. The roles of silence and
the use of space, the importance of attractiveness, your view of aging, your ability to
speak one language instead of another, your proclivity for activity over meditation, or
your preference for using one mode of behavior over another when dealing with con-
flict are all rooted in culture. Try to isolate where you learned what is considered
“cool”in your culture. You might be able to point to what you think is“cool,”but
telling someone how you learned to be“cool”would be a near-impossible task.
While you could readily recognize how you learned to solve a specific chemistry
problem, you would have a much harder time with your culture’s more subtle
“teachings.”Reflect for a moment on the learning that is taking place in the follow-
ing examples:- A child reprimanded for making a hurtful remark about a classmate’s weight is
learning about compassion and empathy. - A young boy in the United States whose grandfather reminds him to shake hands
when he is introduced to a friend of the family is learning good manners. - An Arab father who reads the Koran to his daughter and son is teaching the
children about God. - An Indian child who lives in a home where the women eat after the men is learn-
ing gender roles. - A Jewish child who helps conduct the Passover ceremony is learning about
traditions. - A Japanese girl who attends tea ceremony classes is learning about patience, self-
discipline, and ritual. - A fourth-grade student watching a film on George Washington crossing the Dela-
ware River is learning about patriotism and fortitude.
REMEMBER THIS
Like so much of culture, it is communication that makes culture a
continuous process, for once cultural habits, principles, values,
and attitudes are formed, they are communicated to each mem-
ber of the culture.44 CHAPTER 2•Communication and Culture: The Voice and the Echo
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