AP Human Geo Unit 3 Culture

Creole language

A language that results from the mixing of a colonizer's language with the indigenous language of the people being dominated.

ex: Haitian Creole is an example because its a combination of French and African

Dialect

A regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.

Soda is an example because people from the Midwest may call it “pop” compared to the Northeast calling it “soda”

Extinct language

A language that was once use by people in daily activities but is no longer used

Latin is an example because it is no longer spoken as a daily language

Indo-European Language Family

Language family including the Germanic and Romance languages that is spoken by about 50% of the world's people.

English is an example because it came from and evolved the Germanic language

Isogloss

A boundary that separates regions in which different language usages predominate.

"lorry" vs. "truck" difference in the UK and the US is an example because it shows how seperate regions across the ocean pronounce english differently

Isolated language

A language that is unrelated to any other languages and therefore not attached to any language family.

Basque is a prime example of an isolated language because it is spoken in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France and its not known.

Language

A system of communication through the use of speech, a collection of sounds understood by a group of people to have the same meaning.

English is an example because its communication with the use of speech

Language branch

A collection of languages related through a common ancestor that existed several thousand years ago. Differences are not as extensive or old as with language families, and archaeological evidence can confirm that these derived from the same family.

Romance branch within the Indo-European family because these languages share a common ancestor and have similar linguistic structures and vocabulary

Language family

A collection of languages related to each other through a common ancestor long before recorded history.

Indo-European is an example because its the most widespread family, languages from Europe, South Asia, and the Americas, including English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, and Russian

Language group

A collection of languages within a branch that share a common origin in the relatively recent past and display relatively few differences in grammar and vocabulary.

West Germanic is an example because it combines English, German, Dutch, Frisian. 

Lingua franca

A language mutually understood and commonly used in trade by people who have different native languages.

English is an example because its a international business, diplomacy, and aviation

Bilingual

Speaking two languages.

Canada is an example because it has both English and French

Multilingual

Speaking several languages.

U.S is an example because we have languages from everywhere

Official language

The language adopted for use by the government for the conduct of business and publication of documents.

French in France is an example because its the only language spoken there

Pidgin language

A form of speech that adopts a simplified grammar and limited vocabulary of a lingua franca, used for communications among speakers of two different languages.

Tok Pisin is an example because it’s a spoken in Papua New Guinea, it evolved from English and local languages

Sedentary Farmer theory/Anatolian Hypothesis

Theory argued by Colin Renfrew that Proto-Indo-European language originated with people in present day Turkey and was spread with agricultural practices to Europe and South Asia.

Nomadic Warrior Theory/Kurgan Hypothesis

Theory arguing that the Proto-Indo-European language originated near Russia and Kazakhstan and diffused due to domesticated horses and chariots establishing military superiority through Europe and South Asia.

Romance Language

Any of the languages derived from Latin including Italian, Spanish, French, and Romanian.

Spanish is a example because it derived from Latin

Sino-Tibetan Language

Family of languages common in East Asia. Mandarin is in this family.

China is an example because they speak mandarin which is East Asia

Swahili

an Arabic-influenced Bantu language that is spoken widely in eastern and central Africa. Often used as a lingua franca.

Africa is an example because it has people who speaks Swahili

Acculturation

Adopting traits of another culture but keeping some elements of ones own culture.

Assimilation

One culture becomes completely absorbed by another and keeping no elements of it's original culture.

Folk/Local Culture

traditionally practiced primarily by small, homogeneous groups living in isolated rural areas

Global /popular Culture

cultural found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics.

Sense of Place

The feeling that an area has distinct and meaningful character.

cultural relativism

is the principle that an individual's humans beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture. In other words, right and wrong are culture-specific. (contrasts with ethnocentrism)

Multiculturalism

the coexistence of several cultures in one society with the idea that all cultures have value.

Syncretism

the combining of elements of two groups into a new cultural feature Ex.) Texmex cuisine is an example because it is the mix of American (Texas) and Mexican food

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.

cultural trait

The specific customs that are part of the everyday life of a particular culture, such as language, religion, ethnicity, social institutions, and aspects of popular culture.

Atheism

Belief that there is no god.

Caste System

A Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life

Diaspora

the dispersion of the Jews outside Israel

Karma

The belief that actions in this life, whether good or bad, will decide your place in the next life.

Monotheism

Belief in one God

Missionary

A person who spreads his or her religious beliefs to others.

Pilgrimage

A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes.

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

Syncretism

a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith

Ethnic Religion

Appeals primarily to one group of people living in one place. Will not seek converts.

Shamanism

Belief in a leader who can communicate with spirits

Secularism

an indifference to or rejection of religion or religious belief

Sharia Law

system of Islamic law that is based on the Quran

Universalizing religion

A religion that attempts to appeal to all people, not just those living in a particular location.

Zionism

A policy for establishing and developing a national homeland for Jews in Palestine.

Sunni and Shia (Shi'ite)

Two mains sects within Islam

Heterogeneous

composed of unlike parts; different; diverse

Homogeneous

of a similar kind

proselytize

to persuade someone to convert to a faith, belief, or cause