APHUG Vocab 3

Acculturation

The adoption of cultural traits, such as language, by one group under the influence of another.

Animism

Doctrine in which the world is seen as being infused with spiritual and other supernatural powers.

Artifact

Any item that represents a material aspect of culture.

Buddhism

System of belief that seeks to explain ultimate realities for all people.

Caste System

System in India that gives every Indian a particular place in the social hierarchy from birth.

Christianity

The world's most widespread religion, characterized as a monotheistic universal religion.

Creole

A pidgin language that evolves to become the primary language of the people who speak it.

Cultural Complex

The group of traits that define a particular culture.

Cultural Extinction

Obliteration of an entire culture by war, disease, or acculturation.

Cultural Geography

The subfield of human geography that looks at how cultures vary over space.

Cultural Hearths

Locations on the earth's surface where specific cultures first arose.

Cultural Imperialism

The dominance of one culture over another.

Cultural Relativism

Understanding a culture on its own terms rather than judging it by the standards of one's own culture.

Cultural Traits

Specific customs that are part of the everyday life of a particular culture.

Culture

A body of learned beliefs, traditions, and guides for behavior shared among members of a particular society.

Customs

Practices followed by the people of a particular cultural group.

Denomination

A particular religious group usually associated with differing Protestant belief systems.

Dialects

Geographically distinct versions of a single language that vary somewhat from the parent form.

Diaspora

People who come from a common ethnic background but live in different regions outside of their home.

Esperanto

A constructed international auxiliary language created for universal means of communication.

Ethnic Cleansing

The systematic attempt to remove all people of a particular ethnicity from a country or region.

Ethnic Neighborhood

An area within a city containing members of the same ethnic background.

Ethnic Religion

Religion that is identified with a particular ethnic or tribal group.

Ethnicity

Refers to a group of people who share a common identity.

Ethnocentrism

An evaluation of other cultures according to one's own cultural standards.

Evangelical Religion

Religion in which an effort is made to spread a particular belief system.

Fundamentalism

The strict adherence to a particular doctrine.

Gender Inequality Index

A United Nations index measuring loss of achievement due to gender inequality.

Genocide

A premeditated effort to kill everyone from a particular ethnic group.

Ghetto

A segregated ethnic area within a city.

Global Religion

Religions whose members are numerous and widespread.

Hinduism

A cohesive and unique society in India that integrates spiritual beliefs with daily practices.

Indigenous Culture

Cultural practices that form the rituals of traditional societies.

Indo-European

Language family containing the Germanic and Romance languages.

Islam

A monotheistic religion based on the belief in one God, Allah.

Isoglosses

Geographical boundary lines where different linguistic features meet.

Judaism

The first major monotheistic religion, based on ethnic identity.

Language Extinction

Occurs when a language is no longer in use by any living people.

Language Family

A collection of languages that have similar words and grammar, originating from the same tongue.

Language Group

A set of languages with a relatively recent common origin.

Literacy

The ability to read and write.

Local Culture

Common experiences or customs that shape the identity of a place and its people.

Local Religions

Religions that are spiritually bound to particular regions.

Minority

A racial or ethnic group smaller than and differing from the majority.

Missionary

A member of a specific faith who travels to recruit new members.

Monotheism

The worship of only one god.

Multicultural

Having to do with many cultures.

Official Language

Language used for all government business in a country.

Pidgin

Language that may develop when two groups of different languages meet.

Pilgrimage

A journey to a place of religious importance.

Polyglot

A multilingual state.

Polytheism

The worship of more than one god.

Pop Culture

Dynamic culture based in large, heterogeneous societies allowing for individualism and innovation.

Race

A group of human beings distinguished by physical traits or genetic characteristics.

Romance Languages

Languages derived from Latin, such as Italian, Spanish, French, and Romanian.

Sino-Tibetan

Language area that includes languages spoken mostly in Southeast Asia and China.

Stimulus Diffusion

When a cultural element is shunned by one culture but inspires a unique form in another.

Syncretic

Traditions that borrow from both the past and present.

Toponyms

Place names given to certain features on the land.

Tradition

A cohesive collection of customs within a cultural group.

Transculturation

The expansion of cultural traits through diffusion and adoption.

Universalizing Religion

Religion that seeks to unite people from all over the globe.