AP Human Geography-Unit 3

culture

a group of belief systems, norms, and values practiced by a people

township and range

A rectangular land division scheme designed by Thomas Jefferson to disperse settlers evenly across farmlands of the U.S. interior.

Metes and Bounds

A term used in describing the boundary lines of land, setting forth all the boundary lines together with their terminal points and angles. Metes (length or measurements) and Bounds (boundaries) description is often used when a great deal of accuracy is required.

long lots

houses erected on narrow lots perpendicular to a long river, so that each original settler had equal river access (french)

Imperialism

Forceful extension of a nation's authority by conquest or by establishing economic and political domination of other nations that aren't it's colonies.

multiculturalism

The practice of valuing and respecting differences in culture.

indigenous language

the native language of a people in an area

menifacts

The central, enduring elements of a culture expressing its values and beliefs, including language, religion, folklore, and etc. "What a culture believes"

Indo-European languages

languages from the indo-european family. Spoken by half of the world's people, and includes, among others, the germanic, romance, and slavic subfamilies.

language family

A collection of languages related to each other through a common ancestor long before recorded history.

Expansion Diffusion

when innovations spread to new places while staying strong in their original locations.

extinct language

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

cultural traits

a particular group's individual skills, customs, and ways of doing things

folk/local culture

a small culture that incorporates a homogeneous population that is typically rural and cohesive in cultural traits.

globalization

growth to a global or worldwide scale

popular culture

large culture that incorporates heterogeneous populations, is typically urban, and experiences quick changing traits.

material culture

the things a group of people construct, including homes, clothing, sports, dance, and foods.

Post Modern Architecture

A reaction in architectural design to the feeling of sterile alienation that many people get from modern architecture. Postmodernism uses older, historical styles and a sense of lightheartedness and eclecticism. Buildings combine pleasant-looking forms and playful colors to convey new ideas and to create spaces that are more people-friendly than their modernist predecessors.

nonmaterial culture

beliefs, practices, aesthetics, and values of a group of people. EX) Hutterites value marrying within their religion

cultural appropriation

the process by which other cultures adopt customs and knowledge and use them for their own benefit

urbanization

Movement of people from rural areas to cities

Distance Decay

How quickly innovations diffuse and refers to how interlinked two places are through transportation and communication

hierarchical diffusion

Occurs when the diffusion innovation or concept spreads from a place or person of power or high susceptibility to another in a leveled pattern.

contagious diffusion

idea spreads from person to person

stimulus diffusion

Occurs when the innovative idea diffuses from its hearth outward, but the original idea is changed by the new adopters.

relocation diffusion

When people move, or relocate, they spread ideas along with them

assimilation

the process of people adopting the dominant culture and abandon their own culture.

cultural relativism

the practice of judging a culture by its own standards

cultural landscape

the visible imprint of human activity on the landscape

sequent occupance

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

placelessness

coined by George Edward Relph to describe the loss of uniqueness in place in the cultural landscape to the point that one place looks like the next

traditional architecture

buildings use building materials available and reflect social/environmental customs of the people

sense of place

made by the emotions and memories attached to a place. Changes as we and the place change.

ethnicity

an identity based on being bounded or related to a certain place over time

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.

ethnic cultures

members share cultural heritage, ancestry, origin myth, history, homeland, language/dialect, symbolic systems (religion/mythology), rituals, cuisine, dressing styles, art, or physical appearance

ethnic enclave

a small area occupied by a distinctive minority culture

dialect

a variant of a standard language along regional or ethnic liens. Made of differences in: vocab, syntax, pronunciation, cadence, and pace.

isogloss

boundary line between two distinct linguistic regions

artifacts

Any item, made by humans, that represents a material aspect of culture

Syncretism

a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith

Toponym

The name given to a portion of Earth's surface.

language family

way of classifying languages at the global scale. The languages have shared by fairly distant origins. Broken into sub-families.

language branch

divisions within a language family, the commonalities are more definite and origins more recent. Consists of individual languages with smaller spatial extents and dialects with even smaller spatial extents

colonialism

Attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory.

centripetal force

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

centrifugal force

a force that divides people and countries

language groups

set of languages with a relatively recent common origin and many similar characteristics

lingua franca

a language used among speakers of different languages for the purposes of trade and commerce.

pidgin language

when people speaking 2 or more languages are in contact and they combine parts of their languages in a simplified structure and vocabulary

cultural divergence

the restriction of a culture from outside influences

cultural hearth

Locations on Earth's surface where specific cultures first arose.

cultural convergence

contact and interaction of one culture and another

Creolization

The blending of African, European, and some Amerindian cultural elements into the unique sociocultural systems found in the Caribbean.

multilingual states

countries in which more than one language is in use

official language

adopted by countries as the language of the government

sociofacts

The institutions and links between individuals and groups that unite a culture, including family structure and political, educational and religious institutions

religion

a system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities.

monotheistic religion

worship a singly deity

polytheistic religion

worship more than one deity, even 1000s

social media

any tool or service that uses the internet to facilitate conversations

universalizing religions

actively seek converts because they view themselves as offering belief systems and universal appropriateness and appeal.

ethnic religion

Adherents are born into the faith and converts are not actively sought.

Judaism

Ethnic religion. Based off teachings of Abraham. In Middle East, N Africa, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, and N and S America. Monotheistic.

Christianity

single founder (Jesus), split from Judaism, monotheistic, first split: between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox.

Islam

founded by Muhammad, Qu'ran, Allah, monotheistic, 5 pillars, pilgrimage to Mecca/hajj.

secularism

Belief that humans should be based on facts and not religious beliefs

sacred sites/sacred space

places people infuse with religious meaning (reverence or fear). If infused with reverence, a pilgrimage may be made to the place.

hajj

the pilgrimage to Mecca

interfaith boundaries

the boundaries between the world's major faiths. subject to potentially divisive cultural forces.

intrafaith boundaries

the boundaries within a single major faith. Divisions between: Catholics and Protestants (especially in N Ireland), Muslim Sunni and Shia

theocracy

a government in which religion rules

Acculturation

(n.) the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; the resultant blend

animism

Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.