"We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native language. Language is not simply a reporting device for experience but a defining framework for it."

- E. F. Schumacher

• • Who drinks alcohol?
  • Why do these people drink?
  • Is there an age limit?
  • If there’s an age limit, is it enforced?
• • How prevalent is alcohol use?
• • How are people viewed that drink alcohol?
• • Where is alcohol consumed?

• • What is considered art?
  • Who is considered an artist?
  • What is art used for?
• • What mediums are used for art?
  • What materials are available for art?
• • What is the importance of art in society?
  • Do people get formal training in art?
  • Are children educated in art?
• • How do artists support themselves?
  • Is art sold?
  • To whom?
  • Where?
• • Is art collected in specific places?
  • If so, who operates these places?
• Does one type of art represent the culture?

• • What qualities characterize beauty?
• • Does weight play a role in the view of beauty?
• • Are there rituals for makeup/preparation?
• • Does body modification exist?
  • Piercings, tattoos, amputations?
  • What role does it play?
• • Is plastic surgery available?
  • When is it performed?
  • In what forms?

• • What are some of the customary celebrations?
  • What traditions or customs are associated with them?
• • What form do public celebrations take?
  • Parades, masques, fireworks, festivals?
• • What events do people celebrate?
  • Birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, marriages?
• • Who celebrates and why?

• • What age do children start working?
  • What kind of work do children typically perform?
• • Do children work for their families or outside of the family?
• • How is child labor viewed in society?
• • What do children typically do with the money they earn while working?

• • Who provides care for children?
  • Mother, father, others?
• • With what care are children provided?
  • Food, shelter, education, religion?
• • How long is the provider responsible for the children?
• • Is child abuse/neglect prevalent?
  • From who?

• • What are classes based on?
  • Wealth, race, ethnicity, gender, family history?
• • Is it possible to move up or down the social classes/castes?
  • How easy or difficult is it to move social classes/castes?
  • How is it done?
• • Who can move around social classes/castes?
• • What is the relationship between classes?
  • Do people socialize with other classes?
• • How are classes separated in society?

• • What is the role of clothing?
  • Protection, fashion, religious?
  • Which roles are most important?
• • Is clothing made or purchased?
• • Is clothing sold?
  • Where?
  • Local bazaar, mall, internet, tailor?
• • What clothing differences exist between men and women. Rich and Poor?

• • How do people identify with their culture?
• • What things hold particular cultural value?
  • Places, people, clothing, ideals?
• • What activities demonstrate cultural pride?

• • How is dating viewed?
  • Is dating only for potential lifetime partners or do people also date casually?
• • Who dates?
  • Who chooses who dates?
• • What activities are done on dates?
  • Are there restrictions on dating activities?
  • If so, who makes these restrictions?
• • How is personal space viewed when dating?
  • In general?

• • How are people from different cultures viewed?
• • What is the relationship with people of different cultures?
  • Integrated, feared, disliked?
• • How is the culture similar to your own culture?
  • Different?

• Who can go to school?
• In what way are the schools structured in terms of socioeconomic status, gender, age, and other factors?
• • If students are tested for their level of knowledge, how is this assessment accomplished?
  • What type of grading scale is used?
• • Do students desire to go to school and learn?
  • Why or why not?

• • What is the purpose of exercise?
  • Is exercise important?
• • Who exercises?
  • Who can exercise?
  • Does exercise cost money?
• • What is considered exercise?
• • Do people exercise in groups?
• • Are sports played for exercise?

• • How important is family?
• • What is the family structure?
  • Is there a head of the household?
  • If so, who is that person?
• • Is someone most important within the family structure?
  • Men/women, boys/girls, young/old?
• • Do families live together?
  • In what activities do families participate together?
• • Who has children?
  • Are children born outside of marriage accepted by society?

• • How do people act when meeting someone for the first time?
• • How are others treated?
  • Friends, acquaintances, strangers?
• • Do people have many friendships?
  • Few, none?
• • How are friendships established?
• • What are the rights/responsibilities of friendship such as casual conversation, formal/informal names, gifts?

• • What kinds of games (not sports) are played?
  • Who plays them?
• • Are games used as a teaching tool?
• • How are games taught and learned?
• • Does society consider it appropriate for adults to play games or are games only acceptable for children?
• • When and with whom are games usually played?

• • What are the social roles of women?
  • Men?
• • Do men and women socialize together?
  • Do men or women get more respect?
  • In what realms?
• • What happens when a person acts in a role unexpected of his/her gender?
• • How are gender roles enforced?

• • What is considered a handicap by society?
• • Are the handicapped treated differently, such as receiving benefits, restrictions?
• • Are the handicapped viewed differently?
• • Are the handicapped legally protected?

• • What holidays are celebrated?
  • When are holidays celebrated?
  • Why are holidays important?
• • Who celebrates holidays?
  • The rich/poor, men/women, young/old?
• • Are the holidays government related, history related, religiously related?
• • How are holidays celebrated?

• • How are intimate relationships established?
  • Dating, arranged?
• • Do people share intimate relationships with multiple people?
• • For what purposes do intimate relationships exist?
• • At what age are intimate relationships established?
• • How is sex viewed?
  • Is homosexuality prevalent?
  • Is it accepted, shunned?

• • For whom in the culture is there leisure time?
  • How much leisure time do these people have?
• • If free time is spent in groups, how are these groups categorized?
  • How much interaction between groups is allowed?
• • What is considered fun?
• • How much time and money is used on leisure?
  • What does this say about its importance?

• • What types of living conditions exist?
  • Are living conditions different for the rich, poor, eldest, wisest?
• • What are the differences between urban and rural living conditions?
  • What proportion of the population is urban?
  • Rural?
• • Is there unrest between people with different living conditions?
  • What differences cause unrest?

• • Do people take marriage or life-long partners?
• • Who is allowed to marry?
• • Is marriage arranged?
  • By whom?
• • Do people typically marry for love, necessity, survival, money?
  • What are the consequences for those who don’t marry?
• • What is the average age of people who marry?
• • Is marrying more than once common?
• • Do people of the opposite sex live together before marriage?

• Do all people eat the same types and amounts of foods, or does the content and quantity of food depend on age, gender, status, etc?
• If eating is a social activity, with whom do people eat?
• • How many times a day do people eat?
  • At what time do the meals take place?
• Is it common for people to eat out?
• Do people use utensils. If so, what type?

• • Who has a television?
  • What is watched?
• • Where do movies/shows come from?
  • Are the films foreign or domestic?
• • What is the influence of movies/television on the culture?
• • Are there movie/television stars?
  • What do people think of movie/television stars?
  • How are movie stars treated?
• • Where are the places movies/television are watched?
• • What types of movies/shows are enjoyed?
  • Are there restrictions on movies/shows?

• What role does music play in society?
• • What types of music do people enjoy?
  • What comprises the music?
  • Instruments, voices?
  • What rhythms are popular?
• • What are the musical influences?
  • Do people listen to foreign music or domestic?
• When is music played or listened to?
• Is music accessible to everyone?
• • Are there musicians and performers, such as professional singers, dancers?
  • If so, is performing a respected profession?

• • What do people do at night?
• • Is there dancing at night?
  • If so, what types of dancing?
• • What do people do during the night?
  • Is there different attire?
  • Do people go to parties?
• • Do people go to nightclubs?
  • Who goes to nightclubs?
  • When do these people go to nightclubs?
  • Is nightclub attendance a reflection of standard of living?

• • Who is thought to be an outcast?
  • Is it based on physical/mental disabilities, social taboos, etc.?
• • How badly are outcasts treated?
  • Does it depend on the reason for being an outcast?
• • Are opinions and treatment of outcasts uniform or do they vary by person?

• • Which personal attributes are most important?
  • Intelligence, beauty, honesty?
• • What personal attributes are respected, admired?
• • What personal attributes are disrespected, disliked?
• • Is competition encouraged?
• • Is hard work expected, admired, uncommon?

• • What is regarded as clean?
• • How often do people bath?
  • How is bathing done?
• • How is dental hygiene achieved?
• • Are perfumes used?
  • Are purfumes made, imported?

• • What types of animals are kept as pets?
• • Who has pets?
• • Where are pets kept?
• • Are pets expensive to obtain and provide for?
• • Are pets trained to serve a specialized purpose?

• • Is poverty prevalent?
• • How many people live a life of poverty?
• • How do the impoverished survive?
• • Where do the impoverished live?
• • Does the rest of society interact with the impoverished?
  • How?
• • Is there a way out of poverty?
  • How attainable is the way out?

• • Is personal space needed?
  • What form does it take?
• • Do people respect other’s privacy?
• • Are there laws to protect privacy?

• • Is prostitution prevalent?
  • What form does prostitution take?
  • Organized groups, alone?
• • Where does prostitution take place?
• • How are prostitutes viewed?
• • Where does money spent on prostitutes go?

• • What is the attitude of children toward authority?
• • Who are children expected to respect?
• • How do siblings behave toward each other as children?
  • As adults?
• • When is someone considered an adult?
  • Is this different for men and women?
  • How is adulthood acknowledged?
• • What kind of decisions are children allowed or expected to make?

• • Are the elderly respected?
• • What place do the elderly have in society?
• • Does the government support the elderly?
  • Family?
• • When is someone considered elderly?

• • How is the spoken language different from the written language?
• • What languages/dialects are spoken?
  • Which are officially recognized?
• • What languages are children expected to learn?
• • What languages are children taught?
• • Are different languages spoken in different situations?

• • How do people view competition?
• • Do people take sports seriously?
  • Are sports just for recreational enjoyment?
• • Are there professional sports players and teams?
  • Who is eligible to be an athlete, and how are these athletes developed?
• • What, if any, role does the media play for sports?
  • How does this correlate to the monetary value of the sports industry?
• • Do people get paid for coaching teams or athletes as a full-time job?

• • What methods are used to keep time?
• • Is punctuality important?
• • How much free time do people have?
• • What is the calendar based upon?

• • How are tourists and tourism viewed?
  • Welcomed, avoided, feared?
• • What are the main tourist attractions?
  • Are these tourist attractions natural or man-made
• • Where do tourists stay?
• • Are there political constraints on travel?
  • For tourists visiting?
  • For natives traveling elsewhere?

• • What types of toys are there?
  • What are they made of?
  • What are they used for?
• • Who uses toys?
• • Who has toys?
• • Are toys used individually or within a group?

• • What is the unemployment rate?
  • What are the consequences of this rate?
• • What measures are taken to regulate unemployment?
• • Is aid provided to the unemployed?
  • In what form?
  • From whom?

• • Do colors have special meanings?
  • How is the meaning reflected?
  • Clothes, signs, flags?
• • Are there national colors?
  • What are they?
• • How are pictures/symbols used to communicate instead or in addition to words?
  • Used to teach?
• • What kind of body language is used?
  • What does it mean?
• • Is there an alphabet?
  • What kind of alphabet is used?
  • How visual is it?

• • What tasks do people consider work?
  • What careers are typical?
• What do people need (education, status, etc.) to have one of the typical careers in this culture?
• • How many hours does a work schedule include?
  • When do these work hours take place?
• What importance do businesses place on vacation time?
• Do men and women hold the same jobs, get paid as much money, and receive the same respect in the workplace?

• • Is there a written language?
  • What form does it take?
• • Do people have books?
  • What types of books?
• • What percentage of the population is literate?
• • Who is literate?
• • At what age do people learn to read?
  • Write?