Anthro test #1

Cultural Anthropology

Studies contemporary human cultures.

Archaeology

Studies past cultures through material remains.

Biological/Physical Anthropology

Studies human biology, evolution, and variation.

Linguistic Anthropology

Studies language and its role in culture.

Fieldwork

Firsthand research in a community through participant observation, interviews, and living among the people studied.

Human Universals

Traits found in every known human society, such as language and kinship systems.

Hominin Evolution

The evolutionary history of the human lineage after it split from the ancestors of chimpanzees.

Cladogenesis

Evolution in which one lineage splits into two or more separate lineages.

Bipedalism

Walking upright on two legs, the earliest defining hominin trait.

Foramen Magnum

The hole at the base of the skull where the spinal cord exits, indicating bipedalism.

Out of Africa Theory

The theory that modern Homo sapiens evolved in Africa and spread across the world.

Tool Making

Deliberately shaping objects to use as tools, a key marker of hominin behavior.

Homo sapiens

Anatomically modern humans who appeared in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago.

Neanderthals

A close hominin relative that lived in Europe and western Asia and contributed to modern non-African DNA.

Extinction

The complete disappearance of a species.

Braided Stream Metaphor

Describes human evolution as multiple lineages that split and merge, instead of a single, linear progress.

Race

A socially constructed category that groups people by supposed physical traits.

Physical Variation

Biological differences among humans, such as skin color and blood type.

Adaptation

A biological trait shaped by natural selection that helps a population survive.

Acclimatization

A temporary physiological adjustment to an environment, not inherited or genetic.

Cline

Gradual geographic gradients in a trait, showing continuous variation.

Mitochondrial DNA

DNA inherited only through the mother, used to trace maternal ancestry.

Archaeology

The study of past human societies through their material remains.

Paleolithic

The longest period of human prehistory, marked by the use of stone tools.

Lithics

Stone tools and debris from making them.

Flake

A piece struck off a stone during tool-making, often used as a cutting tool.

Core

The stone from which flakes are removed.

Retouch

Further shaping or sharpening of a flake's edge.

Atlatl

A spear-thrower used to throw darts or spears with greater force.

Peopling of the New World

The question of when and how humans first reached the Americas.

Geochronology

Dating geological deposits and layers to help date archaeological finds.

Pleistocene

The Ice Age epoch characterized by lower sea levels and large glaciers.

Beringia

The land bridge between Siberia and Alaska, exposed during the Ice Age.

Clovis and Pre-Clovis

Distinctive fluted spear points from about 13,000 years ago, with evidence of earlier human presence in the Americas.

Megafauna Extinction

The die-off of large Ice Age mammals, debated as caused by hunting or climate change.

Cultural Relativism

Understanding a culture's beliefs and practices in their context without judgment.

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures by the standards of one's own culture.

Holism

Studying a society as an interconnected whole, not as isolated parts.

Comparative Perspective

Comparing cultures to identify patterns and avoid generalizations.

Culture

The learned, shared system of beliefs, values, and behaviors within a society.

Emic

The insider's perspective on a culture.

Etic

The outsider's analytical view of a culture.

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of language in relation to culture, history, and social life.

Symbol

Something that stands for something else by arbitrary, culturally agreed-upon meaning.

Phonology

The study of a language's sound system.

Phonetics

The study of the physical production of speech sounds.

Phonemics

The study of phonemes, the smallest sound units that distinguish meaning.

Morphology

The study of how words are formed from morphemes, the smallest units of meaning.

Syntax

The rules for arranging words into phrases and sentences.

Tonal Languages

Languages where pitch or tone changes a word's meaning.

Glottochronology

A method estimating how long ago related languages diverged based on vocabulary change.

Semantic Domain

A set of related words and meanings within a language.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The idea that language influences how its speakers think and perceive the world.

Sociolinguistics

The study of how language varies and is used in social contexts.

Code-Switching

Alternating between languages or dialects depending on the social situation.

Ethnicity

A group identity based on perceived shared culture, ancestry, language, or history.

Assimilation

When a minority group is absorbed into a dominant culture, losing its identity.

Acculturation

Cultural change resulting from contact between groups, each adopting traits of the other.

"Race: The Power of an Illusion"

A documentary arguing that race is a social construct and not biologically real.

"The Kayapo"

A documentary about the Kayapo people and their struggle to defend their culture and land.

Emic/Etic

Understanding a culture from the insider's perspective (emic) vs. the outsider's perspective (etic).

Ethnocentrism/Relativism

Judging other cultures by your own standards (ethnocentrism) vs. understanding them in their own context (relativism).

Assimilation/Acculturation

Absorption of a minority group into a dominant culture (assimilation) vs. cultural exchange without losing identity (acculturation).

Phonetics/Phonology/Phonemics

Physical production of speech sounds (phonetics), organization of sounds (phonology), and sound units that distinguish meaning (phonemics).

Adaptation/Acclimatization

Biological traits helping survival (adaptation) vs. temporary physiological adjustments (acclimatization).

Clovis/Pre-Clovis

Distinctive fluted spear points from 13,000 years ago (Clovis) vs. earlier evidence of human presence in the Americas (Pre-Clovis).