How Do You Learn Social and Cultural Skills?

Last week, we defined social and cultural (or sociolinguistic) language skills.  As you remember, these skills help you act appropriately with different people in different situations.  You probably also remember that these skills have a lot to do with culture.

So, how do you learn social and cultural skills?

Luckily, there are really just two steps to gaining these skills.

1. Analyze Your Cultural Framework.  Think about how you have learned to interact with others.  Who should you respect?  How do you show respect?  What do you do to get what you want?  How do you argue?  Is it polite to disagree?  Imagine you are explaining the cultural rules to a visitor.  What should they do?  What should they avoid doing?
2. Observe American Culture.  Next, watch how Americans interact.  Ideally, you will do this in real life.  TV shows are entertaining, but they are not realistic.  When you observe others, you can ask the same questions that you asked yourself.  Who do they respect?  How do they show respect?  What do they do to get what they want?  Explain American culture to yourself.  What should you do?  What should you avoid doing?

Of course, social and cultural skills also show up in the phrases you use and the words you choose.  Still, understanding the unspoken rules of American culture is the most important step because it will help you apply your knowledge.


Once you have taken some time to do this exercise, let us know what you observed.  You can add your thoughts in the comment section.