3b Ap Human Geo Vocab

Animism

A faith that subscribes to the idea that souls or spirits exist not only in humans but also in animals, plants, rocks, natural phenomena such as thunder, geographic features such as mountains or rivers, and other entities of the natural environment

Blockbusting

A practice in which realtors persuade white homeowners in a neighborhood to sell their homes by convincing them that the neighborhood is declining due to black families moving in

Apartheid

Laws (no longer in effect) in South Africa that physically separated different races into different geographic areas.

Branch (of a religion)

A large and fundamental division within a religion

Colonialism

The act of forcefully controlling a foreign territory, which becomes known as a colony

Assimilation

Occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group blends in with the host culture and loses many culturally distinctive traits

caste system

The class or distinct hereditary order in which a Hindu is assigned, according to religious law.

Acculturation

Occurs when an ethnic or immigrant group adopts enough of the ways of the host society to be able to function economically and socially

Atheism

The belief that God does not exist.

Creole

A combined language that has a fuller vocabulary than a pidgin language and becomes a native language

Balkanization

A process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities.

Cultural convergence

takes place when cultures become more similar based on shared structures, values, and technology. It is facilitated by faster and more efficient communication and transportation, yielding what some would call time-space convergence.

Bigot

One who is narrow-mindedly devoted to their own ideas and groups, and intolerant of (people of) differing ideas, races, genders, religions, politics, etc.

Adherents

someone who supports a particular party, person, or set of ideas.

Agnostic

The belief that the existence of God can't be proven empirically.

Cultural divergence

the phenomenon where distinct cultures evolve and separate over time, taking different paths in terms of beliefs and values.

Ghetto

During the Middle Ages, a neighborhood in a city set up by law to be inhabited only by Jews; now used to denote a section of a city in which members of any minority group live because of social, legal, or economic pressure.

Isogloss

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

Dialect

A regional variation of a language that is understood by people who speak other variations of that language

Glocalization

Adapting global practices to fit local cultural practices and preferences

Karma

The sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.

Ebonics

A dialect spoken by some African Americans.

Hierarchical religion

A religion in which a central authority exercises a high degree of control.

Language branch

A collection of Languages related through a common ancestor that can be confirmed through archaeological evidence.

Ethnic cleansing

The forced removal of one ethnic group by another ethnic group to create an ethnically consistent territory

Homogeneous

of the same or a similar kind or nature.

language family

A group of related languages that share a common ancestry before recorded history.

Ethnic separatism

occurs when minority groups fight for independence.

Ideogram (logogram)

A symbol that represents a word rather than a sound.

lingua franca

A language of communication and commerce spoken across a wide area where it is not a mother tongue

ethnic religions

A religion identified with a particular ethnic or tribal group that does not seek converts

Imperialism

The motivating impulse to control greater amounts of territory

Literary tradition

A language that is written as well as spoken.

Genocide

The systematic killing of members of a racial, ethnic, or linguistic group

Islam

Submission [to the will of God] is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centered on the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad, the religion's founder.

Monotheism

Relating to the belief in only one god

Multiculturalism

A set of policies that promote the active participation and inclusion of minority groups in national histories, national politics, and cultural institutions with the goal of embracing difference within society

Romance languages

a group of related languages all derived from Vulgar Latin within historical times and forming a subgroup of the Italic branch of the Indo-European language family

Nationalism

Sense of belonging to and self-identifying with a national culture; people with a strong sense of nationalism derive a significant part of their social identity from a sense of belonging to a nation

Spanglish

A combination of Spanish and English spoken by Hispanic Americans.

Syncretism

The blending of beliefs, ideas, practices, and traits, especially in a religious context

Nationality

Identity with a group of people who share legal attachment to a particular country.

Syncretic religion

Religion that combines elements of two or more different belief systems

Nativist

the practice of supporting the wants and needs of residents of a given area over the interests of immigrants.

universal religion

A religion that actively seeks new members and believes its message has universal importance and application

official language

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

Pilgrimage

A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes.

Polytheism

The belief in many gods