Unit 3 Culture

Acculturation

Acculturation

The adoption of cultural traits, such as language, by one group under the influence of another.

Agnosticism

The belief that nothing can be know about whether or not God exists

Animism

Beliefs that inanimate objects or natural events have spirts and a conscious

Assimilation

the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another

athenism

The belief that God does not exist

centrifugal

Forces or attitude that tend to divide a state and pull the population apart

Centripetal Force

a force or attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state

Charter Group

the first group to establish cultural and religious customs in a space

Contagious Diffusion

Diffusion where one person spreads an idea or innovation to multiple people and then those people spread it to multiple people until it uniformly affects all individuals and areas outward from the sources

Creole

A language that results from the mixing of a colonizer's language with the indigenous language of the people being dominated.

cultural convergence

when two cultures become more similar because of frequent interactions

cultural divergence

When members of a culture becomes less like other group members over time

cultural landscape

The structure within the physical landscape caused by human activities

cultural relativism

the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture

Culture

All of a group's learned behavior, actions, beliefs, and objects

customs

The frequent repetition of an act, to the extent that it becomes characteristic of the group of people performing the act

Dialect

a regional variation of a language distinguished by distinctive vocabulary, spelling, and pronunci

Diaspora

When people of one group are dispersed to various locations but still maintain their heritage in their new land

Diffusion

the process by which molecules move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration

Distance Decay

the idea that the interaction between two places declines as the distance between them increases

environmental determinism

The belief that the physical environment actively shapes culture

ethic enclave

Relatively small, ethically homogenous enclaves situated within a larger and more diverse cultural context

Ethnicity

Identity with a group of people that share distinct physical and mental traits as a product of common heredity and cultural traditions.

ethnic religion

religion that primarily appeals to one group of people living in one place. More closely tied to the physical geography of a particular region, especially with agriculture.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own culture or ethnic group is superior to others, judging other groups through the lens of one's own culture

Expansion Diffusion

A type of diffusion where an innovation or idea develops in a hearth and remains strong there, while also spreading outwards,

Extinct Language

A language that was once used by people in daily activities but is no longer used.

Folk Culture

Culture that is traditionally practiced primary by small, homogenous groups living in isolated rural areas

Fundamentalism

A type of religious movement characterized by strict conformity to a religious text

Globalization

The spread of businesses product, people and ideas around the world

Hearth

the place where something begins

hierarachical diffusion

The spread of an idea from one key person or node of authority/power to other people/ places with less power and influence

Isogloss

word usage boundary, determined by data collected directly from people

Isolated Language

A language unrelated to any other and therefore not attracted to any language family

language family

A collection of language related through a common ancestral language that excited long before recorded history

Language Group

A collection of languages within a branch that share a common origin in the relatively recent past and display relatively few differences in grammar and vocabulary.

Lingua Franca

A language of intentional communication

Material Culture

Visible, tangible aspects of culture such as architecture , clothing books, instrument

Missionary

Someone who embarks on a mission to spread their religion to new people and place

Monolingual

Speaking only one language

Monotheism

Belief that there is only one God

Multiculturalism

the coexistence of several cultures in one society, with the ideal of all cultures being valued and worthy of study

Nativism

Favoring those born in a country over immigration

Non-Material Culture

Invisible, intangible culture such as values, beliefs, behaviors and norms

Official Language

A language designated by a country as that one used by the government for laws, reports and public object

Pidgin Language

A simplified form of language that adopt the grammar and vocabulary of a lingua franca to allow speakers of two different languages to communication

Polytheism

Beliefs that there is more than one God

Popular Culture

Culture found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics.

Possibilism

The belief that environmental conditions may impact culture in some ways, but people are the primary architects of culture

Relocation Diffusion

The Spread of an idea or innovation through the physical movement of people who migrate and take their ideas and innovation with them

Romance languages

The group of languages derived from Latin (French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Portuguese)

Sect

A relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination.

Sense of place

the emotions someone attaches to an area based on their experiences

sequent occupance

the notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place, each contributing to the cumulative cultural landscape

Stimulus Diffusion

When an innovation spreads but is changed by the people who adapt it

Syncretism

When traits from two distinct culture fuse to form a new cultural trait

Taboo

A restriction on behavior imposed by social custom.

time-space compression

The reduction in the time it takes to diffuse something to a distant place, as a result of improved communications and transportation systems

Universalizing Religion

A religion that attempts to appeal to all people, not just those living in a particular location.