APHG Unit 3 Vocab

culture

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

cultural traits

the elements, both visible and invisible, that make up a group’s culture

cultural complex

a series of interrelated cultural traits

cultural hearths

the origin point of a culture

taboos

heavily discouraged behaviors by a culture

traditional culture

an encompassing cultural term, which is used to explain all three cultural designations and the function of passing down long-held beliefs and practices. generally resistant to rapid changes in their culture

folk culture

the beliefs and practices of small, homogeneous groups of people, often living in rural areas that are relatively isolated and slow to change

indigenous culture

when members of an ethnic group reside in the ancestral lands and typically possess unique cultural traits, such as speaking their language, they are referred to as indigenous

globilization

the increased integration of the worlds economy since the 1970s

popular 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

global culture

when elements of popular culture become adopted worldwide

cultural landscape

the built environment, also known as the modification of the environment by a group that is a visible reflection of that group’s cultural beliefs

artifacts

physical elements and remains of a material culture

material culture

the tangible parts of a culture

mentifacts

elements of a nonmaterial culture

nonmaterial culture

the intangible parts of a culture

sociofacts

the way people organize their society and relate to one another

placelessness

when many modern cultural landscapes exhibit a great deal of homogeneity

traditional architecture

an architectural style that reflects a culture’s history, beliefs, values, and community adaptations to the environment

postmodern architecture

an architectural movement away from boxy, mostly concrete or brick structures toward high rise structures made from large amounts of steal and glass siding

comtemporary architecture

an extension of postmodern architecture, which uses multiple advances to create buildings that rotate, curve, and stretch the limits of size and height

ethnicity

membership in a group of people who share characteristics such as ancestry, language, customs, history, and common experiences

cultural regions

regions usually determined based on characteristics such as religion, language, and ethnicity

cultural realms

larger areas that include multiple cultural regions

sacred place

specific places and natural features that have religious significance

diaspora

when one group of people is dispersed to various locations

charter group

the first group to establish cultural and religious customs in a space

ethnic islands

rural areas with concentrations/clustering of ethnic groups

sequent occupancy

the moving in and out of neighborhoods and creating of new cultural imprints on the landscape

neolocalism

the re-embracing of the uniqueness or authenticity of a place

cultural patterns

related sets of cultural traits and complexes that create similar behaviors across space

sharia

a legal framework of a country derived from Islamic edicts taken from the holy book, the Qur’an

nationality

people’s connection to a specific country

centripetal forces

forces that unify a group of a region

centrifugal forces

forces that divide a group of a region

blue laws

laws that restrict certain activities on Sundays in the U.S

fundamentalism

an attempt to follow a literal interpretation of a religious faith

theocracies

countries whose governments are run by religious leaders through the use of religious laws

ethnocentrism

a belief that ones own cultural group is more important and superior to other cultures

cultural relativism

a concept that a group’s beliefs, values, normals, and practices should be understood from the perspective of another group’s culture.

cultural appropriation

the action of adopting traits, icons, or other elements of another culture

diffusion

the spread of information, ideas, behaviors, and other aspects of culture from their hearts to wider areas

relocation diffusion

the spread of culture and/or cultural traits through people who migrate

expansion diffusion

the spread of cultural traits outward through exchange without migration

contagious diffusion

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

hierarchical diffusion

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

reverse hierarchical diffusion

when a trait diffuses from a lower status group to a higher status group

stimulus diffusion

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

imperialism

a broader concept that includes a variety of ways of influencing another country or group of people by direct conquest, economic control or cultural dominance

colonialism

a specific type of imperialism in which people move into and settle on the land of another country

native speakers

those who use the language learned from birth

lingua franca

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

slang

words used informally by a segment of the population

pidgin language

a simplified mixture of two languages

creole language

a development of a more formal structure and vocabulary so that they are no longer a pidgin language and create a new combined language

social constructs

ideas, concepts or perceptions that have been created and accepted by people in a society or social group and are not created by nature

time-space convergence

the greater interconnection between places that results from improvements in transportation is called time-space convergance

cultural convergence

cultures becoming more similar to each other and sharing more cultural traits, ideas and beliefs

cultural divergence

the idea that a culture may change over time as the elements of distance, time, physical separation, and modern technology create divisions and changes

linguists

scientists who study languages

language tree

a diagram to show the relationships between different languages

romance languages

the unifying language of latin diverged into dozens of distinct regional languages, known as romance languages

isoglosses

the boundaries between variations in pronunciations or word usage are called isoglosses

dialects

variations in accent, grammar, usage, and spelling

adages

sayings that attempt to express a truth about life

official language

a language dedicated by law to be the language of the government

homogeneous

made up largely of ethnically similar people

adherents

people who remain devoted to the faith of their ancestors

ethnic religions

belief traditions that emphasize strong cultural characteristics among their followers

universal religions

a faith that actively seeks converts to its faith regardless of their ethnic backgrounds

hinduism

an ethnic religion that believes in karma

polytheistic

religions that believe in many gods

monotheistic

religions that believe in a single god

karma

the idea that behaviors have consequences in the present life or a future life

caste system

a rigid class structure that shaped indian society

buddhism

a religion with an end goal of enlightenment via oeace and meditation

sikhism

a universalizing monotheistic faith that stresses serving others

judaism

one of the first monotheistic faiths that believes the writing known as the Torah expresses divine will

islam

muslims religion, believes that allah (god) revealed his teachings through a series of prophets

pilgrimage

the process where local cultures become more similar or uniform, often as a result of globalization and the influence of dominant cultures

acculturation

Acculturation is the process in which individuals or groups from one culture adopt the traits and social patterns of another culture

assimilation

the process through which individuals or groups from one culture adopt the customs, values, and behaviors of another culture, often leading to a loss of their original cultural identity

syncretism

the blending of different beliefs, practices, and cultural elements to form a new, cohesive system

glocalization

the process of adapting global products or ideas to fit local cultures and markets

multiculturalism

the coexistence of diverse cultural groups within a society, promoting the recognition, appreciation, and preservation of different cultural identities

toponyms

the names of places