Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes

Acculturation

Process where one cultural group adopts traits of another

Animism

Belief that natural objects and phenomena have spirits

Artifact

Physical object created by a culture

Buddhism

Universalizing religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama

Caste system

Rigid social hierarchy in Hindu society

Christianity

Universalizing religion based on the teachings of Jesus

Creole

Language formed from blending a colonizer’s language with indigenous languages

Cultural complex

Group of related cultural traits

Cultural extinction

When an entire culture disappears

Cultural geography

Study of how culture varies across space

Cultural hearths

Areas where cultures originate and spread from

Cultural imperialism

Dominance of one culture over another

Cultural relativism

Evaluating a culture based on its own standards

Cultural traits

Individual elements of a culture

Culture

Shared beliefs, behaviors, and traditions of a group

Customs

Practices routinely followed by a group

Denomination

Subgroup within a larger religion

Dialects

Regional variations of a language

Diaspora

Scattering of a cultural group from their homeland

Dynamic

Constantly changing or evolving

Ecumene

Permanently inhabited areas of Earth

Environmental determinism

Idea that environment shapes human behavior

Esperanto

Constructed international language created to foster communication

Ethnic cleansing

Forced removal of an ethnic group from an area

Ethnic neighborhood

Area where people of the same ethnicity cluster

Ethnic religion

Religion tied to a specific ethnic group

Ethnicity

Identity based on shared cultural traits

Ethnocentrism

Judging another culture by one’s own standards

Fundamentalism

Strict adherence to traditional religious beliefs

Gender

Social and cultural roles associated with sex

Gender Inequality Index

Measure of gender disparities in a country

Genocide

Systematic killing of a group of people

Ghetto

Urban area where minority groups are concentrated

Global religion

Religion with worldwide distribution

Hinduism

Ethnic religion originating in India

Indigenous culture

Culture of native or original inhabitants

Indo-European family

Largest language family including English, Spanish, Hindi

Islam

Universalizing religion founded by Muhammad

Isoglosses

Boundaries separating different language features

Judaism

Ethnic religion of the Jewish people

Language extinction

When a language no longer has speakers

Language family

Group of related languages with a common ancestor

Language group

Subdivision of a language family with recent common origins

Literacy

Ability to read and write

Local culture

Culture practiced by a small, isolated group

Local religions

Religions with limited spatial distribution

Minority

Group with less power or representation in society

Missionary

Person who spreads a universalizing religion

Monotheism

Belief in one god

Multiculturalism

Coexistence of multiple cultures in one society

Official language

Language designated by a government for use

Pilgrimage

Religious journey to a sacred site

Polyglot

Person or place with multiple languages

Polytheism

Belief in many gods

Pop culture

Widespread, rapidly changing cultural traits

Possibilism

Idea that humans shape culture despite environmental limits

Race

Socially constructed category based on perceived physical traits

Romance languages

Languages derived from Latin (Spanish

Sino-Tibetan family

Language family including Chinese and Tibetan

Stimulus diffusion

Spread of an idea after being modified

Syncretic

Blending of different cultural or religious traditions

Toponyms

Place names that reflect culture or history

Tradition

Long‑established cultural practice

Transculturation

Two cultures exchange traits and influence each other

Universalizing religion

Religion that seeks to convert and spread globally