AP Human Geography Unit 3

Culture

The shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by a society.

Cultural traits

Specific customs or practices that are part of the everyday life of a particular culture.

Cultural complex

A combination of interrelated cultural traits within a society.

Culture hearths

Areas where cultures originated and from which innovations and ideas spread.

Diffuse

The spread of cultural elements from one area to another.

Taboos

Behaviors that are strongly discouraged by a culture.

Traditional culture

Customs and ways of life handed down from previous generations.

Folk culture

Traditionally practiced by small, homogeneous, rural groups living in relative isolation.

Indigenous culture

The cultural practices of native peoples, usually tied to a specific geographic area.

Globalization

The process of increased interconnectedness among countries, primarily in economic, cultural, and political realms.

Popular culture

Mainstream, widespread patterns among a society's population, often diffused via mass media.

Global culture

Cultural practices and norms that transcend national boundaries and are shared worldwide.

Cultural landscape

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

Artifacts

Physical objects made by a culture, representing its material aspect.

Material culture

The physical manifestations of human activities, such as tools, art, and structures.

Mentifacts

The ideas, values, and beliefs of a culture.

Nonmaterial culture

The intangible aspects of a culture, including beliefs, practices, and values.

Sociofacts

The structures and organizations of a society that influence social behavior.

Placelessness

The loss of uniqueness in a cultural landscape so that one place looks like the next.

Built environment

The human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity.

Traditional architecture

Structures that use local materials and have a historical style.

Postmodern architecture

A style that emerged in the late 20th century, blending historical and modern design elements.

Contemporary architecture

Innovative, often futuristic architectural designs built in the present era.

Ethnicity

A group's shared cultural identity, often connected to language, religion, and common ancestry.

Ethnic enclaves

Areas where a specific ethnic group dominates the population and culture.

Cultural regions

Geographic areas in which a particular culture or cultural traits predominate.

Cultural realms

Larger areas that share general cultural characteristics across many cultural regions.

Sacred place

A location deemed holy or spiritually significant by a particular culture or religion.

Diaspora

The dispersion of people from their original homeland, often due to forced migration.

Charter group

The first ethnic group to establish cultural norms in a particular area.

Ethnic islands

Small rural areas settled by a single, distinctive ethnic group.

Sequent occupancy

The theory that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place.

Neolocalism

The process of re-embracing the uniqueness and authenticity of a place in response to globalization.

Cultural patterns

The regular practices, beliefs, and norms that define a particular culture.

Culture hearth

The geographic origin of a cultural innovation or practice.

Nationality

The legal relationship and cultural connection between a person and their country.

Centripetal forces

Forces that unify a state or country, such as shared religion, language, or ethnicity.

Centrifugal forces

Forces that divide a state, including political, ethnic, or religious differences.

Sharia

Islamic law derived from the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

Blue laws

Laws that restrict certain activities on Sundays for religious reasons.

Fundamentalism

A strict adherence to basic principles of a religion or ideology.

Theocracies

Governments ruled by religious leaders or based on religious law.

Ethnocentrism

The belief in the superiority of one's own culture over others.

Cultural relativism

The practice of evaluating a culture by its own standards rather than judging it against another culture.

Cultural appropriation

The adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture, often without permission.

Diffusion

The spread of ideas, beliefs, and cultural practices from one region to another.

Relocation diffusion

The spread of cultural traits through the physical movement of people.

Expansion diffusion

The spread of cultural traits outward from a central point, without the physical movement of people.

Contagious diffusion

The rapid and widespread diffusion of a cultural trait throughout a population.

Hierarchical diffusion

The spread of cultural traits from more influential or powerful places or people to others.

Reverse hierarchical diffusion

The spread of traits from lower-status groups or locations to higher-status ones.

Stimulus diffusion

When a culture adopts an idea or innovation from another culture but modifies it.

Imperialism

The policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

Colonialism

The practice of establishing political control over another country, often exploiting it economically.

Animism

The belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence.

Native speakers

Individuals who speak a language as their first language from childhood.

Lingua franca

A common language used for communication between speakers of different native languages.

Slang

Informal language often associated with specific groups or subcultures.

Pidgin language

A simplified language developed to facilitate communication between groups without a common language.

Creole language

A stable, fully developed language that originates from a mix of two or more languages.

Social constructs

Ideas or concepts that are created and accepted by society, such as gender roles or class systems.

Time-space convergence

The idea that the world feels smaller due to advances in communication and transportation.

Cultural convergence

The process where cultures become more alike due to shared technologies and organizational structures.

Cultural divergence

The process in which cultures become increasingly different over time.

Linguists

Scholars who study languages and their structure, history, and development.

Language tree

A model that shows the relationships between different languages from a common ancestor.

Indo-European language family

A large language family that includes many of the languages spoken in Europe and South Asia.

Romance languages

Languages that evolved from Latin, including Spanish, French, and Italian.

Isoglosses

Boundaries between different linguistic features or dialects.

Dialects

Variations of a language with distinct vocabulary, grammar, or pronunciation.

Adages

Short sayings that express general truths or pieces of wisdom.

Toponyms

Place names that often reflect cultural history and geography.

Official language

A language designated by a country for use in government and public affairs.

Homogeneous

A population with little cultural or ethnic diversity.

Adherents

People who follow or practice a particular religion or belief system.

Ethnic religions

Religions that are closely tied to a particular ethnic group and not seeking converts.

Universal religion

A religion that seeks to convert people regardless of their ethnic background or geography.

Hinduism

A major world religion originating in South Asia, characterized by belief in reincarnation and karma.

Polytheistic

The belief in or worship of multiple deities.

Monotheistic

The belief in or worship of one deity.

Karma

The belief that actions in this life affect a person's fate in future lives.

Caste system

A rigid social hierarchy in Hindu society, historically dividing people into classes.

Buddhism

A religion founded in India, focusing on personal spiritual development and the attainment of enlightenment.

Sikhism

A monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab region, promoting equality, justice, and devotion to one God.

Gurdwara

A Sikh place of worship.

Judaism

A monotheistic religion with origins in the Hebrew Bible, practiced by Jewish people.

Christianity

A monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Islam

A monotheistic religion based on the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

Pilgrimage

A journey to a sacred place for religious purposes.

Homogenization

The process of making things uniform or similar, often in a cultural context.

Acculturation

The process of cultural change and adaptation resulting from contact between cultures.

Assimilation

The process by which a minority group adopts the cultural traits of the dominant group.

Syncretism

The blending of elements from different cultures or religions to form a new cultural practice.

Glocalization

The adaptation of global products or ideas to fit local cultures and preferences.

Multiculturalism

A perspective that encourages the preservation of different cultures within a society.

Nativist

A person or policy favoring the interests of native-born inhabitants over those of immigrants.