Introduction to Culture, Diffusion, and Religious Languages

Culture

The shared beliefs, behaviors, and material traits of a group of people | Example: American culture includes fast food, baseball, and English language

Cultural Trait

A single attribute of a culture, such as a practice, belief, or object | Example: Wearing a sari in India

Pop Culture

Culture found in large, heterogeneous societies that share certain habits despite differences | Example: Watching Netflix globally

Folk Culture

Culture traditionally practiced by small, homogeneous, rural groups | Example: Amish farming communities in Pennsylvania

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's own culture | Example: Believing one's language or customs are better than others

Cultural Relativism

Evaluating a culture based on its own standards rather than comparing it to another culture | Example: Understanding why some cultures eat insects

Cultural Landscape

The visible imprint of human activity on the landscape | Example: Skyscrapers, roads, religious buildings

Place

Specific geographic location with meaning and characteristics | Example: Paris, France

Human Characteristics

Features of a place created by humans | Example: Buildings, roads, bridges

Physical Characteristics

Natural features of a place | Example: Rivers, mountains, climate

Sense of Place

The feelings and meaning people attach to a place | Example: Feeling of home in one's neighborhood

Centripetal Forces

Forces that unify people and enhance support for a state | Example: National holidays, common language

Centrifugal Forces

Forces that divide people and weaken support for a state | Example: Ethnic conflicts, political corruption

Diffusion

The spread of cultural traits from one place to another | Example: Sushi becoming popular outside Japan

Cultural Hearth

The origin or starting point of a cultural trait | Example: New York City as a cultural hearth for hip-hop

Relocation Diffusion

Spread of culture through the physical movement of people | Example: Spanish brought to the Americas by colonists

Expansion Diffusion

Spread of a culture outward from a hearth while remaining strong at origin | Example: Christianity spreading across Europe

Hierarchical Diffusion

Spread of culture from leaders or nodes of authority to other people | Example: Fashion trends from Paris designers spreading globally

Stimulus Diffusion

Spread of an underlying idea even if the original trait is rejected | Example: McDonald's adapting menu to local tastes

Lingua Franca

A language used as a common means of communication between speakers of different languages | Example: English used in international business

Why English is lingua franca

Because it is widely spoken and used in business, science, and technology | Example: Scientific publications often in English

Diaspora

The forced or voluntary movement of people from their homeland | Example: Jewish diaspora from Israel

Creolization

The blending of two or more languages or cultures into a new culture | Example: Haitian Creole

Internet & Technology

Speeds up cultural diffusion by sharing ideas globally | Example: TikTok trends spreading worldwide

Cultural Divergence

When cultures become increasingly different from each other | Example: North Korea restricting Western media

Cultural Convergence

When cultures become more alike due to interaction | Example: Western brands like McDonald's appearing worldwide

Indigenous Cultures Resisting Globalization

To preserve unique customs and identity | Example: Some Amazon tribes limiting contact with the outside world

Language Families

Groups of languages that share a common origin | Example: Indo-European

Romance Languages

Languages derived from Latin | Example: Spanish, French, Italian

Dialect

A regional variation of a language | Example: Southern vs. Northern English

Pidgin Language

Simplified language that develops as a means of communication between speakers of different languages | Example: Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea

Universalizing Religions

Religions that seek followers globally | Example: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism

Ethnic Religions

Religions that appeal primarily to one group of people in one place | Example: Hinduism, Judaism

Universalizing vs Ethnic Religions

Universalizing religions spread widely; ethnic religions are tied to a culture | Example: Christianity spreads globally; Hinduism is mostly in India

Christianity

Religion with global appeal | Monotheistic | Church | Middle East | Relocation, Expansion Diffusion

Islam

Universalizing religion | Monotheistic | Mosque | Mecca, Saudi Arabia | Expansion Diffusion

Buddhism

Universalizing | Polytheistic (or non-theistic) | Temple | India | Expansion Diffusion

Hinduism

Ethnic religion | Polytheistic | Temple | India | Relocation diffusion

Judaism

Ethnic religion | Monotheistic | Synagogue | Israel | Relocation diffusion