APHG Unit 3 Essentials Vocab | AP Human Geography

Cultural traits

Characteristics and behaviors of a particular culture

Cultural hearth

Place where cultural traits originate and diffuse from

Traditional (folk) culture

Cultural practices and beliefs of small, homogeneous groups

Indigenous culture

Culture of the original inhabitants of a region

Globalization

Increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of the world

Popular culture

Cultural elements that reflect the tastes of the mainstream

Cultural landscape

The visible imprint of human activity on the environment

Artifacts

Physical objects created by a culture

Mentifacts

The ideas, beliefs, and values of a culture

Sociofacts

The social structures and organizations of a culture

Ethnicity

Shared cultural characteristics and identity of a group

Ethnic enclaves

Geographic areas with a high concentration of a particular ethnic group

Cultural regions

Areas with common cultural characteristics and identity

Sequent occupancy

Successive cultural groups leaving their imprint on a place

Cultural patterns

Recurring characteristics or behaviors in a culture

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's own culture

Cultural relativism

Understanding and judging a culture based on its own values

Relocation diffusion

Spread of cultural traits through migration

Expansion diffusion

Spread of cultural traits from a central point

Contagious diffusion

Spread of cultural traits through direct contact

Hierarchical diffusion

Spread of cultural traits from a person or node of authority

Reverse hierarchical diffusion

Spread of cultural traits from lower to higher levels of authority

Stimulus diffusion

Spread of an underlying principle, but not the specific trait

Lingua franca

Common language used for communication between different groups

Pidgin language

Simplified language used for communication between groups with different languages

Creole language

Stable, fully-developed language derived from a mixture of languages

Dialect

Variation of a language spoken in a particular region

Toponym

Place name, often reflecting cultural or historical significance

Homogenous

Consisting of similar or identical elements

Adherent

Follower or supporter of a particular religion or belief system

Ethnic religion

Religion associated with a particular ethnic or cultural group

Universal religion

Religion that seeks to appeal to all people

Acculturation

Adoption of cultural traits by one group from another

Assimilation

Process of fully adopting the cultural traits of another group

Syncretism

Blending of different cultural traditions to create a new synthesis