AP Human Geography 3.1-3.8 Vocabulary

artifacts

The material manifestation of culture, including tools, housing, systems of land use, clothing, etc. “What a culture uses”

cultural relativism

the idea that a person’s beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person’s own culture, rather than be judged through the eyes of another culture

custom

something that a group of people does repeatedly that becomes part of their culture

folk culture

the cultural traditions that are generally held by a specific ethnic group, often localized in a specific area

ethnocentrism

judging people or traditions based on your own cultural standards; belief in the superiority of one’s culture

mentifacts

the central, enduring elements of a culture expressing its values and beliefs, including language, religion, folklore, and etc. “What a culture believes”

sense of place

a strong feeling of identity that is deeply felt by inhabitants and visitors of a location

sequent occupancy

the idea that the current cultural landscape is a combination of all the societies who lived there previously and the changes each group made

sociofacts

the institutions and links between individuals and group that unite a culture, including family structure and political, educational and religious institutions. “What a culture does”

taboo

something that is forbidden by a culture or a religion, sometimes so forbidden that it is often not even discussed

cultural landscape

modifications to the environment by humans including the built environment that reflect aspects of their culture; human imprint on the environment

enclaves (ethnic neighborhoods)

clusters of specific cultures within a dominant region

cultural appropriation

concept which views the adoption or use of elements of one culture by members of another as a largely negative phenomenon

commodification

the process through which something is given monetary value

popular culture

is dynamic, many people can participate, wide distribution, diffuses very rapidly

architecture

the art or practice of designing and constructing buildings

gender

the cultural differences in how men are treated differently than women

indigenous people

the original settlers of a given region, in contrast to groups that have settled the area more recently

secularism

a philosophy that interprets life on principles taken solely from the material world, without recourse to religion

creole language

a language that began as a combination of two other languages and is spoken as the primary language of a group of people

dialect

different forms of the same language used by groups that have some different vocabulary and pronunciations

lingua franca

a language that groups of people who don’t speak the same language use to communicate often for trade or business

pidgin language

no native speakers; a simplified form of speech that comes from one or more existing languages

cultural convergence

when two cultures become more similar because of frequent interactions

cultural divergence

when a culture splits into different cultures because of lack of interaction

indigenous language

a language that is native to a region and spoken by indigenous people

extinct language

a language that is no longer spoken by anyone as their native language

branch

a major division within a religion

caste system

a rigid set of social classes that provides privileges for the higher classes and limits on the lower classes - a person is born into it and only changes upon reincarnation

diaspora

the scattering of people from their homeland (especially Jews from the Holy Land)

ethnic religion

a religion that is focused on a single ethnic group (often in a centralized area) that doesn’t attempt to appeal to all people

language family

a collection of languages that are all descended from an original, proto-language

pilgrimage

a journey to a location that has religious significance

universalizing religion

a religion that attempts to appeal to all people and has a worldwide focus as opposed to a regional focus

isogloss

a boundary that separates regions in which different language usages predominate

Kurgan Warrior Theory

language diffusion through conquest

Anatolian Farmer Theory

language diffusion through agriculture

acculturation

adoption of cultural traits, such as language, by one group under the influence of another

assimilation

the process of a person or group losing the cultural traits that made them distinct from the people around them

multiculturalism

when various ethnic groups coexist with one another without having to sacrifice their particular identities

syncretism

the blending traits from two different cultures to form a new trait