ap human geograpghy unit 3

Acculturation

when 2 cultures come into contact, one adopts traits of the other
-ex: immigrant from non-eng. speaking country deciding to learn eng.

Assimilation

subtype of acculturation, in which one culture abandoms their original culture and adopts another culture; sometimes voluntary, other times forced

cultural convergence

cultures become more alike as their interactions increase

cultural perception

The varying attitudes and ideas that culture groups have regarding how space, place, and territory are identified and used

cultural ecology

The multiple interactions and relationships between a culture and the natural environment

cultural landscape

the natural landscape as modified by human activities, reflecting their cultural beliefs and values

culture realm

A cluster of regions in which related culture systems prevail

culture hearth

where cultural traits are made and diffuse from

culture complex

A related set of culture traits descriptive of one aspect of a society's behaviour or activity (may be assoc. with religious beliefs or business practices)

cultural trait

visible/invisible attributes that combine to make a group's culture

culture region

An area in which people have many shared culture traits

custom

A specific practice of long standing

ethnicity

sense of belonging/idenitity within a group of peope bound by common ancestry and culture

Determinism

the belief that climate and landforms are the most powerful forces shaping human behavior and societal/cultural development

Diffusion Patterns

relocation and expansion > contagious & hierarchical

Local/Traditional Culture

small, homogenous (similar) groups of people, often living in rural areas that are isolated and unlikely to change
-sense of place, distinctiveness

Globalization

The trend toward increased cultural and economic connectedness between people, businesses, and organizations throughout the world without regard to borders/barriers

habit

repetitive act

indigenous peoples

natives of an area who have been conquered or dominated by others who came later

material culture

Artifacts of a society that represent adaptations to the social and physical environment

mentifact

the ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge of a culture
-ex: religious beliefs, language, food preferences, taboos

Multiculturalism

the acceptace and tolerance of many different cultures which exist in close proximity to one another; openness, acceptance, diversity

nationalism

strong sense of national identity

global/popular culture

large, heterogeneous groups of people, often living in urban areas that are interconnected through globalization and the internet/social media. Quick to change, time-space compression.

possiblism

The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives.

sequent occupancy

societies/cultural groups leave their cultural imprints when they live in a place, each contributing to the overall cultural landscape over time
-ex: the great pyramids, the great wall of china

sociofact

The ways in which a society behaves and organizes institutions
-ex: family, school, gov., gender roles, land use

symbolic landscapes

landscape w/ significant meaning beyond its looks

taboo

behaviors heavily discouraged by a culture

uniform landscape (placelessness)

the loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape so that one place looks like the next

vernacular region

a region that reflects ppl's feelings/attiudes towards it
-ex: the south

accent

distinct pronounciation/speech of a lang. w/out grammar change

creole

A pidgin language that develops into a new combined language with native speakers

dialect

variation of a standard language distinguished by differences in vocabulary and word choice, pronounciation, speed, and spelling
-ex: british english and american english

extinct language

lang. that no longer exists/is used

Indo-European

Largest language family in the world and has about 3.2 billion speakers

isogloss

a geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs; lines that divide dialects

isolated language

language that has no known historic/linguistic relation with any another known language; may occur because related language went exinct

language

system of communication through speech/sound
-ex: english & german

language branch

Collection of languages that share a common origin from thousands of years ago. They were separated from other languages in their family and now are distinctive although related.
-ex: germanic

language family

largest group of related languages which are connected through a common, ancient ancestry and trace back to a common hearth
-ex: indo-european

language group

A collection of languages that share a more recent past with similar vocabularies nad some overlap
-ex: west germanic

lingua franca

a language used among speakers of different languages for the purposes of business, trade, commerce, or in popular culture

mono-, bi-, multi-linguality

mono= 1, bi= 2, multi= many

official language

endorsed by government as the one language; countries may designate more than one and are used by th egovernment for laws, reports, signs, money, etc.

pidgin

an extremely simplified, limited non-native language used by 2 people that speak different languages

standard language

recognized by the governemnt for school, media, etc.; has various dialects

toponym

place name

trade language

A language used between native speakers of different languages to allow them to communicate so that they can trade with each other.

vernacular

perceptual to beliefs and cultural identity

Autonomous religion

A religion that does not have a central authority but shares ideas and cooperates informally.

branch

large fundemental division within a religion

Denomination

seperate orgs. that unite numbers of local congregations

ethnic religion

religions with smaller diffusion/overall distribution from hearth, are tied to a specific location/ethnic group, and doesn't recruit new adherents; restricted to relocation diffusion
--ex: hinduism, judaism, etc.

fundementalism

literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion

Hierarchical religion

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

Interfaith boundary

boundaries between the world's major faiths

Intrafaith boundary

boundaries within major religion

Monotheism

belief in one god

Pilgrimage

A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes.

Polytheism

belief in more than one god

sacred space

place considered holy

sect

small group seperated from established denomination

Secularism

not religious

Syncretism

when 2 culture's traits blend together and form a new culture trait; can happen through contact between people like imperialism, immigration, or intermarriage

Universalizing Religion

A religion that is widely diffused from hearth through relocation & expansion diffusion, is not confined with a specific location, and has missionaries
-ex: christanity, buddhism, islam