(2) Culture Is Learned
People are not born with culture; they have to learn it. For instance, people
must learn to speak and understand a language and to abide by the rules of a
society. In many societies, all people must learn to produce and prepare food and
to construct shelters. In other societies, people must learn a skill to earn money,
which they then use to provide for themselves. In all human societies, children
learn culture from adults. Anthropologists call this process enculturation, or cultural
transmission. Enculturation is a long process. Just learning the intricacies of a
human language, a major part of enculturation, takes many years. Families
commonly protect and enculturate children in the households of their birth for 15
years or more. Only at this point can children leave and establish their own
households. People also continue to learn throughout their lifetimes. Thus, most
societies respect their elders, who have learned for an entire lifetime.