Accent
A way of pronouncing words
Acculturation
Occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group adopts enough of the ways of the host society to be able to function economically and socially
Assimilation
Occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group blends in with the host culture and loses many culturally distinctive traits
centrifugal force
A force that threatens the cohesion of a neighborhood, society, or country
centripetal force
A force that brings people together and unifies a neighborhood, society, or country
Colonialism
The act of forcefully controlling a foreign territory, which becomes known as a colony
Creole
A combined language that has a fuller vocabulary than a pidgin language and becomes a native language
Creolization
The linguistic process where languages converge and create new languages and forms of communication
cultural relativism
An approach to understanding other cultures that seeks to understand individuals and cultures from a wider perspective of cultural logic
culture trait
A single aspect of a given culture or society
culture hearth
A focused geographic area where important innovations are born and from which they spread
Dialect
A regional variation of a language that is understood by people who speak other variations of that language
endangered language
A language that is not taught to children by their parents and is not used actively in everyday matters
ethnic group
A people of common ancestry and cultural tradition; characterized by a strong feeling of group identity
ethnic religion
A religion identified with a particular ethnic or tribal group that does not seek converts
ethnocentric approach
An approach to understanding other cultures that evaluates them from the perspective of the observer's culture
extinct language
A language that has only a few elderly speakers still living or no living speakers
Glocalization
Adapting global practices to fit local cultural practices and preferences
Imperialism
The motivating impulse to control greater amounts of territory
Indigenous Culture
A local culture that is no longer the dominant ethnic group within its traditional homeland because of migration, colonization, or political marginalization
language
A mutually agreed-upon system of symbolic communication
language family
A group of related languages that share a common ancestry
lingua franca
A language of communication and commerce spoken across a wide area where it is not a mother tongue
Local Culture
Rural, ethnically homogenous culture that is deeply connected to the local land; the opposite of a popular culture
material culture
The physical, visible objects made and used by members of a cultural group; includes buildings, furniture, clothing, food, artwork, and musical instruments
Monotheistic
Relating to the belief in only one god
nonmaterial culture
Intangible elements of culture including a wide range of beliefs, values, myths, and symbolic meanings passed from generation to generation within a given society
orthodox religion
Religion that emphasizes purity of faith and is generally not open to blending with elements of other belief systems
Pidgin
A trade language, characterized by a very small vocabulary derived from the languages of at least two or more groups in contact
Placelessness
The feeling resulting from the standardization of the built environment; occurs where local distinctiveness is erased and many places end up with similar cultural landscapes
polyglot
A person who is fluent in more than two languages
Polytheistic
The belief in many gods
popular culture
Heterogeneous culture that is more influenced by key urban areas and quick to adopt new technologies; the opposite of a local culture
proselytic
Describing a religion that spreads its message to others through missionary work
race
Historically defined by the physical characteristics of a group, especially skin color
Religion
A structured set of beliefs and practices through which people seek mental and physical harmony with the powers of the universe
sacred Spaces
Natural or human-made sites that possess religious meaning and are recognized as worthy of devotion, loyalty, fear, or esteem
secular
Less influenced or controlled by religionLess influenced or controlled by religion
sense of place
How a person feels about a particular place and why it is important to them
sequent occupance
Refers to the fact that many places have been controlled or affected by a variety of groups over a period of time; those groups have reshaped the functions or meanings of those places and left behind layers of meaning
Syncretism
The blending of beliefs, ideas, practices, and traits, especially in a religious context
universalizing religion
A religion that actively seeks new members and believes its message has universal importance and application