the participants.You know from your own experience that an auditorium can be the occasion for a graduation ceremony,play,dance,or memorial service.Each of these occasions calls for a distinctly different type of behavior,and each culture has its own specifications for these behaviors. The influence of time on communication is so subtle that its impact is often overlooked.How do you feel when someone keeps you waiting for a long time?Do you respond to a phone call at 2:00 A.M.the same way you do to one at 2:00 P.M.? Do you find yourself rushing the conversation when you know you have very little time to spend with someone?The answers to these questions show that the clock often controls our actions. The number of people with whom you communicate also affects the flow of communication.You feel and act differently if you are speaking with one person,in a group,or before a great many people.Cultures also respond to changes in number. For example,people in Japan find group interaction much to their liking,yet feel extremely uncomfortable when they have to give a formal public speech. Communication is symbolic Part of our definition calls attention to the fact the humans are symbol-making creatures.We employ symbols to share our internal states.Other animals may participate in the communication process,but none of them has our unique communication capabilities:through millions of years of physical evolution,and thousands of years of cultural evolution,we are able to generate,receive,store,and manipulate symbols.This sophisticated system allows us to use a symbol-be it a sound,a mark on paper,a stature,Braille,a movement,or a painting-to represent something else. Although all cultures use symbols,they usually assign their own meanings to them.Not only do Mexicans say perro for dog,but the image they form when they hear the sound is quite different from the one American form.In addition to having different meanings for symbols,cultures also use these symbols for different purposes In America and much of Europe,the prevalent view is that communication is used to get things done.In contrast,people in Japan and China believe information is internalized by most members of the culture,so not much needs to be coded.Symbols are at the core of communication and symbols,by virtue of their standing for something else,give us an opportunity to share our personal realities.the participants. You know from your own experience that an auditorium can be the occasion for a graduation ceremony, play, dance, or memorial service. Each of these occasions calls for a distinctly different type of behavior, and each culture has its own specifications for these behaviors. The influence of time on communication is so subtle that its impact is often overlooked. How do you feel when someone keeps you waiting for a long time? Do you respond to a phone call at 2:00 A .M. the same way you do to one at 2:00 P.M.? Do you find yourself rushing the conversation when you know you have very little time to spend with someone? The answers to these questions show that the clock often controls our actions. The number of people with whom you communicate also affects the flow of communication. You feel and act differently if you are speaking with one person, in a group, or before a great many people. Cultures also respond to changes in number. For example, people in Japan find group interaction much to their liking, yet feel extremely uncomfortable when they have to give a formal public speech. Communication is symbolic Part of our definition calls attention to the fact the humans are symbol-making creatures. We employ symbols to share our internal states. Other animals may participate in the communication process, but none of them has our unique communication capabilities: through millions of years of physical evolution, and thousands of years of cultural evolution, we are able to generate, receive, store, and manipulate symbols. This sophisticated system allows us to use a symbol – be it a sound, a mark on paper, a stature, Braille, a movement, or a painting – to represent something else. Although all cultures use symbols, they usually assign their own meanings to them. Not only do Mexicans say perro for dog, but the image they form when they hear the sound is quite different from the one American form. In addition to having different meanings for symbols, cultures also use these symbols for different purposes. In America and much of Europe, the prevalent view is that communication is used to get things done. In contrast, people in Japan and China believe information is internalized by most members of the culture, so not much needs to be coded. Symbols are at the core of communication and symbols, by virtue of their standing for something else, give us an opportunity to share our personal realities