Glossary 12/4/25: Cultural diversity

Prejudice(n) /ˈpredʒədɪs/

an unreasonable dislike and distrust of people who are different from you in some way

-Laws against racial prejudice must be strictly enforced.

-People from ethnic minorities often face prejudice and discrimination

superior (adj) /suːˈpɪəriə/

better than a similar person or thing

- The enemy won because of their superior numbers

- I can't bear Amanda - she's so superior

outlook (noun) /ˈaʊtlʊk/

your general attitude to life and the world

-Her outlook gradually widens

-He had a practical outlook on life

to breed creativity

to allow creavity to thrive

-The design company puts little restraints over its employee in an effort to breed creativity

-Art classes shouldn’t focus on results too much; they should try to breed creativity

to drive innovation /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/

to encourage creating and exploring the unknown

-In order to stay competitive, the company must focus on driving innovation

-Competition is a force that drives innovation

an insular society /ˈɪnsjələ/

interested in your own group, country, way of life etc and no others

-Humans launch probes into outer space hoping to find insular societies like our own

-Some species live in insular societies with no contact with others of the same kind

an ethnic ritual /ˈeθnɪk/

ceremonies and traditions of ethnic groups

-Tourists are often invited into the village to participate in some ethnic rituals

-Nowadays, some ethnic rituals are considered illegal, such as sacrificing humans

cultural clashes

conflicts and disagreement between cultures

-You want to study the values and norm of a place carefully before visiting it because cultural clashes can turn violent

-For many, studying abroad has meant getting into conflicts and cultural clashes with native students

assimilation (noun) /əˌsɪməˈleɪʃən/

the process of becoming an accepted part of a country or group

- Assimilation is difficult, particularly if the minority groups experience considerable hostility

- For almost all the children of immigrants, assimilation was good.

preferential treatment /ˌprefəˈrenʃəl◂/

(treatment that are deliberately different in order to give an advantage to particular people

-He is a spoiled child who always receives preferential treatment

-Life has been easy; it had always given her preferential treatment

welfare (noun) /ˈwelfeə/

help that is provided for people who have personal or social problems)

- There were calls for major changes to the welfare system

- Welfare is the only real safety net for low-income workers.

predominance (noun) /prɪˈdɒmənəns/

if there is a predominance of one type of person or thing in a group, there are more of that type than of any other type

- There is a predominance of people with an arts degree on the board of governors.

- As one would expect, the labor force reflects the predominance of women in nursing.