Unit 3 AP Human Geography

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary terms related to cultural geography and their definitions.

Acculturation

The adoption of cultural traits by one group under the influence of another while maintaining elements of their own culture.

Agnosticism

The belief that nothing can be known about whether or not God exists.

Atheism

The belief that God does not exist.

Animism

Belief that inanimate objects or natural events have spirits and a conscious life.

Assimilation

The process of absorbing one cultural group into another.

Centrifugal Force

Forces or attitudes that tend to divide a state and pull the population apart.

Centripetal Force

Forces or attitudes that bring people together and enhance support for the state.

Charter Group

The first group to establish cultural and religious customs in a place.

Contagious Diffusion

Diffusion where one person spreads an idea or innovation to multiple people.

Creole

A language that results from mixing the colonizer’s language with the indigenous language.

Cultural Convergence

When two cultures become more similar the more they interact.

Cultural Divergence

When members of a culture become less like other group members over time.

Cultural Landscape

The structures within the physical landscape caused by human activities.

Cultural Relativism

The principle that a person's beliefs and actions should be understood in their own cultural context.

Custom

The frequent repetition of an act, to the extent that it becomes a characteristic of a group.

Dialect

A regional variation of a language distinguished by distinctive vocabulary, pronunciation, and spelling.

Diaspora

When people of one group are dispersed to various locations but maintain their heritage.

Diffusion

The process by which an innovation or idea spreads from one place to another over time.

Distance Decay

The idea that interaction between two places decreases as the distance between them increases.

Environmental Determinism

The belief that the physical environment actively shapes culture.

Ethnic Enclave

Relatively small, ethnically homogenous areas situated within a larger and more diverse context.

Ethnicity

Identity of a group of people who share the cultural traditions of a particular homeland.

Ethnic Religion

Religions that primarily appeal to one group of people living in a particular place.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one’s own culture or ethnic group is superior to others.

Expansion Diffusion

A type of diffusion where an innovation or idea develops in a hearth and spreads outwards.

Extinct Language

A language that is no longer spoken, read, or used in daily activities.

Folk Culture

Culture that is traditionally practiced by small, homogenous groups living in isolated areas.

Fundamentalism

A type of religious movement characterized by strict conformity to a religious text.

Globalization

The spread of businesses, products, people, and ideas around the world.

Hearth

The place where an idea or innovation originates from.

Hierarchical Diffusion

The spread of an idea from one key person or node of authority to other people.

Isogloss

Word usage boundaries determined by data collected directly from people.

Isolated Language

A language unrelated to any other and therefore not attached to any language family.

Language Family

A collection of languages related through a common ancestral language.

Language Group

A collection of languages within a branch that share a common origin.

Lingua Franca

A language of international communication.

Material Culture

Visible, tangible aspects of culture.

Missionary

Someone who embarks on a mission to spread their religion to new places.

Monolingual

Speaking only one language.

Monotheism

Belief that there is only one God.

Multiculturalism

The coexistence of several cultures in one society.

Multilingual

Speaking more than one language.

Nativism

Favoring those born in a country over immigrants.

Non-Material Culture

Invisible, intangible culture such as values, beliefs, and norms.

Official Language

A language designated by a country for government use.

Pidgin Language

A simplified form of language to allow communication between speakers of different languages.

Polytheism

Belief that there is more than one God.

Popular Culture

Culture found in large, heterogeneous societies that share certain habits.

Possibilism

The belief that environmental conditions may impact culture but people are the primary architects.

Relocation Diffusion

The spread of an idea through the physical movement of people.

Romance Languages

A group of related languages derived from Vulgar Latin.

Sect

A relatively small group that has broken away from an established religious denomination.

Sense of Place

The emotions someone attaches to an area based on their experiences.

Sequent Occupance

The notion that successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a place.

Stimulus Diffusion

When something spreads but is changed by the people who adapt it.

Syncretism

When traits from two distinct cultures fuse to form a new cultural trait.

Taboo

A restriction on behavior imposed by a social custom.

Time-Space Compression

The reduction of time it takes to diffuse something due to improved technologies.

Universalizing Religion

Religions that attempt to appeal to all people, everywhere.