Cultural and Linguistic Concepts: Acculturation, Assimilation, Diffusion, and Language Types

acculturation

adoption of some cultural traits by a group while still maintaining its original culture

assimilation

process by which a minority group completely adopts the dominant culture and loses its original culture

artifact

physical object created by a culture such as tools clothing or buildings

centrifugal force

force that divides people within a society such as inequality or conflict

cultural convergence

process where cultures become more similar due to globalization and interaction

cultural divergence

process where cultures become more different over time often due to isolation or strong traditions

cultural relativism

belief that a culture should be judged by its own values and standards

cultural hegemony

dominance of one cultural group over others through influence or power

colonialism

establishment of settlements and political control by one country over another territory

cultural homogenization

reduction of cultural differences as cultures become more alike

culture traits

single behaviors beliefs or practices that make up a culture

cultural landscape

visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape

ethnocentrism

belief that one's own culture is superior to others

folk culture

traditional practices of small homogeneous rural groups that resist change

popular culture

large heterogeneous culture that spreads quickly and changes rapidly

hearth

place where a cultural idea innovation or religion originates

imperialism

policy where a country extends power through conquest trade or colonization

indigenous

native to a particular place

mentifact

idea belief or value of a culture such as language or religion

multiculturalism

coexistence of multiple cultures in the same society

sense of place

emotional attachment people have to a location

placelessness

loss of unique cultural identity in a place due to globalization

sequent occupance

idea that successive groups leave cultural imprints on a place

sociofact

social institutions and structures such as family government or education

syncretism

blending of two or more cultural elements to form a new tradition

taboo

behavior that is strongly prohibited by a culture

types of diffusion

different ways ideas spread including relocation expansion hierarchical contagious and stimulus diffusion

African American Vernacular English (AAVE)

dialect of English spoken by many African Americans with unique grammar and vocabulary

British Received Pronunciation (BRP)

standard accent of English historically associated with educated speakers in Britain

creolization

process where two or more languages blend to create a new language

dialect

regional variety of a language with distinct pronunciation vocabulary and grammar

endangered language

language at risk of falling out of use as speakers decline

extinct language

language with no living speakers

institutional language

language used in government education and media

isolated language

language unrelated to any other language family

isogloss

geographic boundary that marks where different language features occur

language family

large group of related languages with a common origin

lingua franca

common language used for communication between people with different native languages

linguist

person who studies languages and their structure

literary tradition

language that has a written form used for literature and communication

manufactured language

language intentionally created such as Esperanto

multilingualism

ability to speak multiple languages

official language

language designated by a government for official use

pidgin language

simplified language that develops between groups with no common language

revived language

language that was once nearly extinct but has been brought back into use

standard language

uniform language used by institutions and media

Vulgar Latin

spoken form of Latin that evolved into the Romance languages

agnosticism

belief that the existence of God cannot be known

animism

belief that natural objects and features have spiritual presence

atheism

belief that no gods exist

autonomous region

area within a country that has some self-governing authority

caste

social class system often associated with Hindu society

denomination

branch of a larger religion with slightly different beliefs

ethnic religions

religions closely tied to one ethnic group and place

fundamentalism

strong adherence to strict religious beliefs

hierarchical religion

religion with a well defined leadership structure

missionary

person who spreads religious beliefs to others

monotheism

belief in one god

pilgrimage

journey to a sacred religious place

polytheism

belief in multiple gods

universalizing religions

religions that seek converts and appeal to all people

utopian settlement

community created to build a perfect society based on shared beliefs