APHG UNIT 3

culture

the shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors transmitted by a society over time

cultural trait

a single, observable, and learned unit or element of culture—such as a specific language, food preference, style of dress, religious practice, or building technique

taboo

a restriction on behavior imposed by a social custom or culture. It forbids specific actions, behaviors, or discussions because a group considers them sacred, unclean, dangerous, or deeply repulsive

Global Culture

(popular culture or pop culture) is a widely distributed culture found in large, heterogeneous (diverse) societies that share similar habits, traits, and values despite regional or personal differences

Cultural landscape

the visible human imprint and modification of the natural physical environment. It is the combination of physical features, human structures, agricultural and industrial practices, religious and linguistic markers, and historical layers that show how a culture has shaped a place

Material Culture

the physical, tangible objects, resources, and spaces that a society creates, uses, and passes down. These are things you can physically see, touch, and map on the cultural landscape

Artifacts

any tangible, physical object created, modified, or used by humans that reflects a culture's material life, technology, and daily practice

Mentifacts

an intangible cultural component consisting of the shared ideas, values, beliefs, and attitudes that shape how a society thinks and acts

Nonmaterial Culture

the intangible, abstract ideas, beliefs, values, norms, language, symbols, and rules that shape a society. Unlike material culture, which consists of physical and tangible objects you can see and touch (such as buildings, clothing, and tools), nonmaterial culture cannot be physically held

Sociofacts

the social structures, institutions, and behavioral norms that organize a culture and dictate how people interact with one another

Traditional Architecture

in AP Human Geography refers to building styles, forms, and construction methods passed down through generations within a specific culture, religion, or region

Postmodern Architecture

Postmodern Architecture

Sequent Occupancy

successive societies leave their cultural imprints on a single place over time, accumulating layers on the cultural landscape

Culture Hearth

the geographic origin point (or "birthplace") where a major cultural trait, innovation, technology, language, or religion first develops before spreading outward to other regions

Ethnicity

is an identity with a group of people who share the cultural traditions, heritage, and common ancestry of a particular homeland or heart

Centripetal forces

factors that unite a state, build a sense of national identity, and strengthen internal cohesion and stability

centrifugal forces

centrifugal forces are factors that divide a state, weaken internal stability, and pull people apart.

Ethnocentrism

the practice of judging or evaluating another culture based on the standards, values, and norms of your own culture

Diffusion

the process by which a cultural trait, idea, innovation, disease, or technology spreads from a point of origin—known as a cultural hearth—across space and time

Relocation Diffusion

the spread of a cultural trait, idea, or innovation through the physical movement of the people who hold it

Expansion Diffusion

the process by which an idea, innovation, or cultural trait spreads outward from its original source—called a hearth—while remaining strong and actively practiced at that origin. Because the origin keeps the trait and new people adopt it, the total number of practitioners increases.

Contagious Diffusion

a subtype of expansion diffusion in AP Human Geography. It occurs when an idea, cultural trait, innovation, or disease spreads rapidly and continuously from person to person through direct contact, moving outward in a wave or ripple pattern from its origin (hearth)

Hierarchical Diffusion

a form of expansion diffusion in AP Human Geography where an idea, trend, innovation, or cultural trait spreads from places or people of higher power, status, or urban hierarchy (such as global or mega-cities, corporate headquarters, or celebrities) down to places or people of lower rank (such as smaller towns, rural areas, or the general public)

Stimulus Diffusion

where a fundamental idea, principle, or concept spreads to a new region or culture, but the specific form, practice, or implementation is modified to fit local cultural, religious, or environmental conditions

Lingua Franca

a shared bridge language used for communication between people who have different native languages. It requires no native speakers of its own in that specific cross-cultural context and is typically used for trade, business, science, diplomacy, and travel

Creole Language

a fully developed, stable natural language that results from the mixing of a colonizer's language with an indigenous or enslaved population's language