1. Particularism
There is no universal pattern of rules governing relationships:
There are no rules governing interaction with someone whose status is unknown.
Instead of applying the same rule to everyone, such factors as status, intimacy, and context create different communication rules for different people.
In fact, there are several patterns guiding interaction with other whose status is know.
In the Confucian country of Korea, it is quite common for strangers to find out each other's age in the first few minutes of conversation and adjust their language to show respect.