Acculturation
The adoption of cultural traits, like language, by one group under the influence of another.
Animism
Most prevalent in Africa and the Americas with doctrine in which the world is seen as being infused with spiritual and even supernatural powers.
Creole
a pidgin language that evolves to the point at which it becomes the primary language of the people who speak it.
Cultural complex
The group of traits the define a particular culture.
Cultural extinction
Obliteration of an entire culture by war, disease, acculturation, or a combination of the three.
Cultural hearth
Locations on earth's surface where specific cultures first arose.
Cultural imperialism
The dominance of one culture over another.
Cultural trait
The specific customs that are part of everyday life of a particular culture, such as language, religion, ethnicity, social institutions, and aspects of popular culture.
Diaspora
People who come from a common ethnic background but who live in different regions outside of the home of their country.
Evangelical Religions
Religion in which an effort is made to spread a particular belief system.
Ghetto
A segregated ethnic area within a city.
Indo-European Family
Language family including the Germanic and Romance languages that is spoken by about 50% of the world's people.
Isogloss
Geographical boundary lines where different linguistic features meet
Language family
A collection of many languages, all of which came from the same original tongue long ago, that have since evolved different characteristics.
Language group
A set of languages with a relatively recent common origin and many similar characteristics.
Local religion
Religion that are spiritually bound to particular regions.
Minority
A racial or ethnic group smaller than and differing from the majority race or ethnicity in a particular area or region.
Pidgin
Language that may develop when two groups of people with different languages meet. The pidgin has some characteristics of each language.
Polyglot
A multilingual state.
Shaman
The single person who takes on the roles of priest, counselor, and physician and acts as a conduit to the supernatural world in a shamanistic culture.
Sino-Tibetan Family
Language area that spreads through most of Southeast Asia and China and is comprised of Chinese, Burmese, Tibetan, Japanese, and Korean.
Syncretic
Traditions that borrow from both the past and present
Toponym
Place name given to certain features on the land such as settlements terrain features, and streams.
Transculturation
The expansion of cultural traits through diffusion, adoption, and other related processes.