Language is a manifestation of culture. At different language acquisition stages, children do not learn language per se; rather they learn the various patterns and styles of language interaction that enable them to function as competent communicators in different situational contexts. They develop a culture-specific communication style that is, for example, direct and explicit in individualistic cultures or indirect and implicit in collectivistic cultures. Examples of words linked with the direct style are categorical words like absolutely, certainly, or positively. By contrast, the cultural assumptions of interdependence and harmony require that collectivists limit themselves to implicit and even ambiguous use of words, using terms like maybe, perhaps, or probably. The English language is the only language in the world that spells I with a capital letter. This phenomenon may reflect the fact that the roots of individualism are in England. There is no Japanese equivalent for the English I. Different words are used to refer to the self, depending on the social situation, the speaker's gender, age, and the other social attributes relative to the listener.