Interactional style and nonverbal meaning: Mazahua children learning how to be separate-but-together

Young children’s experience with nonverbally organized social interaction constitutes a primary kind of enculturation. As they acquire the ability to participate in everyday interactions, they simultaneously learn the cultural meanings embedded in them. This article describes the acquisition by Mazahua children of a separate-but-together interactional style. An appreciation of the nonverbal meanings involved an further our understanding of the nature of culturally defined interactional styles and their impact on school learning.