AP Human Geo Unit 3 Cultural Patterns & Processes

Vocabulary

Culture

all of a group’s LEARNED behaviors, actions, beliefs, and objects

Cultural Hearths 

an area where a unique culture develops

(ex. New York City: cultural hearth for rap music in the 1970s)

Early Cultural Hearths

a geographic region where civilization first developed, marked by significant innovations in agriculture, technology, and social organization, from which cultural traits and practices then spread outward to surrounding areas

Cultural landscape 

visible human imprint on the landscape

Language

system of communication used by a particular group of people

Linguistics

anything related to language, specifically examining how languages are distributed geographically across different regions

Language tree

visual representation of the relationships between different languages, showing how they are connected through shared origins, branching out into different language families

Indo European

language family that includes all European languages (which are widely spoken in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Australasia) and Indian and Iranian

Sino Tibetian

second largest language family in the world, encompassing languages primarily spoken in China and surrounding regions, including Mandarin Chinese (the most prominent Sinitic language), Tibetan, and Burmese

Dialects

regional or social variation of a language, characterized by distinct pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar patterns that reflect the cultural and social identities of the people speaking it within a particular geographic area

Toponymy

Names of places reflect culture; Connections to history, geographic feature, or characteristics of a place

Lingua Franca

common language used by people who don’t speak same language (ex. English)

Religion

system of beliefs, practices, and values that relate humanity to a higher power, often shaping cultures and societies, and leaving visible impacts on the landscape through sacred sites and architectural styles

World Religions/Universalising religions

religion that actively seeks to convert people from diverse backgrounds across the globe

Ethnic Religions

religious belief system that is closely tied to a specific ethnic group and geographic location

Monotheistic Religions

religions that worship a single god

Ethnicity

identity with a group of people who share a common cultural heritage, often including a shared language, religion, ancestry, or history, essentially connecting individuals to a specific homeland or hearth

Race

categorization of humans into groups based on shared physical characteristics, like skin color or facial features, often associated with a perceived ancestry

Placelessness

the loss of uniqueness in the cultural landscape

Sequent occupancy

idea that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place over time, creating a cumulative cultural landscape where each new group builds upon the landscape modified by previous occupants, essentially layering different cultural influences on a single geographic area

Indigenous communities

group of people who are the original inhabitants of a particular region, maintaining distinct cultural practices, languages, and social structures, often with a deep connection to their ancestral lands, and facing challenges from external influences that threaten their traditions

Sociofacts

social structures and organizations within a culture that influence people's behavior

Mentifacts

the shared ideas, beliefs, and values of a culture

Artifacts

tangible, physical objects that represent a culture

Feng Shui

the ancient Chinese practice of arranging buildings, objects, and spaces within an environment to achieve harmony and balance

Cultural Identity

distinct characteristics and self-perception of a person or group based on their shared cultural traits, including factors like ethnicity, language, religion, customs, and traditions

Cultural traits

individual elements or characteristics that make up a specific culture

Cultural Relativism

judge others and their way of life through the eyes of the people who live that way (non-judgmental perspective)

Ethnocentrism

judge others and their way of life from the perspective of your own culture (judgemental perspective)

Sikhs

a follower of Sikhism, a religion originating in the Punjab region of India, where the term "Sikh" means "disciple" or "learner," signifying someone who actively seeks spiritual knowledge and adheres to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus; Sikhs believe in one God and practice equality and social justice principles

Amish

folk culture due to their distinct lifestyle, strong community ties, and resistance to adopting modern technology, often living in isolated settlements and preserving traditional practices

Cultural Convergence

process where different cultures become more similar to each other through increased interaction, often leading to the adoption of shared beliefs, behaviors, and practices across diverse populations, usually facilitated by globalization

Cultural divergence

process where different cultures become increasingly distinct from one another, often due to isolation, political separation, or a conscious effort to preserve unique traditions, resulting in growing differences between cultural groups

Acculturation

new ethnic group adopts values/practices of larger group upon moving but keeps major elements of own culture

Assimilation

new ethnic group COMPLETELY blends into original group

(ex. Westward expansion - Native Americans are being pushed out and forced assimilation by sending kids from tribes into school where they were forced to cut their hair, change clothes, and speak English)

Syncretism

blending of cultural elements from different cultures

Multiculturalism

several cultures coexist in one society

Globalization

increasing connection of economic, cultural, and political characteristics across the world

Creolization

process where different cultural elements from various societies blend together to create a new, hybrid culture

Centripetal Forces

Factors that PULL people together (Religion, holidays, music, language, politics, sports, food, ethnicity, art, values)

Centrifugal Forces

Factors that FORCE people apathy (Religion, politics, social classes, ethnicity, values, language)

Relocation Diffusion

Spread by people who migrate and carry cultural traits with them (ex. Spread of pizza in the US during the 19th century)

Stimulus Diffusion

People adopt an idea or process from another culture but modify it because they reject one trait of it (ex. Hindus in India eat fast food but reject beef)

Contagious Diffusion

Spreads continuously outward through contact among people (ex. spread of blues music outward from the southern US)

Hierarchical Diffusion

Spread from centers of wealth/importance (ex. cell phones in 1980s)

Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion

Traits diffuse from lower to higher class (ex. tattoos in the US, Walmart)