Unit 3 Quiz #1 Vocabulary

Cultural Patterns and Processes Textbook and Supplemental Vocabulary

Custom

A frequent repetition of an action or behavior by a group, to the extent that it becomes a characteristic of that group.

Indigenous Culture (Local)

When members of an ethnic group reside in their ancestral lands, and typically possess unique cultural traits, such as speaking their own exclusive language.

Hierarchical diffusion

The spread of culture outward from the most interconnected places or from centers of wealth and influence.

Expansion diffusion

The spread of cultural traits outward through exchange without migration.

Space-time compression

The shrinking "time-distance;' or relative distance, between locations because of improved methods of transportation and communication.

Habit

An action done repeatedly by a single person.

Pop Culture

When cultural traits, such as clothing, music, movies, and types of businesses, spread quickly over a large area and are adopted by various groups.

Reverse Hierarchical diffusion

A trait diffuses from a group of lower status to a group of higher status.

Contagious diffusion

When a cultural trait spreads continuously outward from its hearth through contact among people.

Material Culture

Which consists of tangible things, or those that can be experienced by the senses.

Taboos

Behaviors heavily discouraged by a culture.

Terroir

The contribution of a location's distinctive physical features to the way food and beverages taste.

Relocation diffusion

The spread of culture and/or cultural traits by people who migrate and carry their cultural traits with them.

Stimulus diffusion

When an underlying idea from a culture hearth is adopted by another culture but the adopting group modifies or rejects one trait.

Sociofacts

The ways people organize their society and relate to one another.

Afro-Asiatic

A large family of related languages spoken both in Asia and Africa, about 250 languages includes semitic languages and is most common in north Africa, northeast Africa, and north parts of central Africa.

Creole

Two or more separate languages can mix and develop a more formal structure and vocabulary.

Dialect

Regional variations of a language.

Denglish

A linguistic blend of German (Deutsch) and English.

Ebonics

A distinct dialect or sociolect spoken by some African Americans.

Extinct Languages

A language that was once used for daily human communication and activities, but is no longer spoken or read by anyone.

Franglais

The widespread diffusion and mixing of English words and expressions into the French language.

Heterogeneous

Exhibiting differences.

Homogeneous

Very similar to each other.

Ideograms

A graphic symbol, sign, or character that directly represents an idea, concept, or physical object rather than a specific phonetic sound, letter, or spoken word.

Indo-European

The world's largest language family—spoken by nearly half to over two-thirds of the global population—consisting of hundreds of related languages that all descend from a single common prehistoric ancestor known as Proto-Indo-European.

Isogloss

The boundaries between variations in pronunciations or word usage.

Isolated Languages

A natural language that has no demonstrable genealogical relationship with any other language.

Language

A systematic means of communicating thoughts, feelings, and ideas through a shared system of arbitrary signals, spoken sounds, written symbols, or gestures understood by a group of people.

Language Branch

A collection of languages within a language family that share a common ancestral language from several thousand years ago.

Language Family

A collection of languages related through a common ancestral language that existed long before recorded history.

Language Group

A collection of languages within a language branch that share a relatively recent common ancestor and display very similar vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.

Lingua franca

A common language used by people who do not share the same native language.

Linguists

Scientists who study languages.

Literary Tradition

A language that is written as well as spoken.

Official Language

One designated by law to be the language of government.

Pidgin Language

A simplified mixture of two languages.

Sino Tibetian

A major family of over 400 to 500 related languages spoken across East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Spanglish

A hybrid contact variety or blend that combines elements of Spanish and English, commonly spoken by Hispanic-Americans in areas of intense cultural and linguistic interaction.

Standard Language

The form of a language that is published, widely distributed, purposely taught, and promoted by a country's political and intellectual elite as the accepted norm for government, education, mass media, and formal communication.

Swahilli

Trade between Arab-speaking merchants and Bantu-speaking residents resulted in the development of this language which is estimated to be spoken by some 50 to 100 million people in Africa and is an official language of five African nations.

Assimilation

The process through which people lose originality differentiating traits, such as dress, speech, particularities, or mannerism, when they come into contact with another society or culture.

Artifact

Any item that represents a material aspect of culture that are tangible. Example: Clothing, food, music

Cultural Hearth

Locations on the Earth’s surface where specific cultures first arose.

Cultural Landscape

The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape.

Ethnic Enclaves

A neighborhood, district, or suburb which retains some cultural distinction from a larger, surrounding area.

Multicultural

Having to do with many cultures.

Nativist

An anti-immigrant attitude sometimes bringing violence or government actions against the immigrant or minority.