Chapter 3 Terms Flashcards
argot
specialized language used by members of a group or subculture
bilingualism
the use of two languages in a particular setting, such as the workplace or schoolroom, treating each language as equally legitimate
counterculture
a subculture that deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture
cultural genocide
the systematic destruction of a group’s culture
cultural relativism
the viewing of people’s behavior from the perspective of their culture
cultural universal
a common practice or belief found in every culture
culture
the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects and behavior
culture industry
the worldwide media industry that standardizes the goods and services demanded by consumers
culture lag
a period of maladjustment when the nonmaterial culture is still struggling to adapt to new material conditions
culture shock
the feeling of surprise and disorientation that people experience when they encounter cultural practices that are different from their own
culture war
the polarization of society over controversial cultural elements
diffusion
the process by which a cultural item spreads from group to group or society to society
discovery
the process of making known or sharing the existence of an aspect of reality
dominant ideology
a set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps to maintain powerful social, economic and political interests
ethnocentrism
the tendency to assume the one’s culture and way of life represent the norm or are superior to others
folkway
a norm governing everyday behavior whose violation raises comparatively little concern
formal norm
a norm that has been written down and that specifies strict punishment for violators
genocide
the deliberate, systematic killing of an entire people or nation
informal norm
a norm that is generally understood but not precisely recorded
innovation
the process of introducing a new idea or object to a culture through discovery or invention
invention
the combination of existing cultural items into a form that did not exist before
language
an abstract system of word meanings and symbols for all aspects of culture; includes gestures and other nonverbal communication
law
governmental social control
material culture
the physical or technological aspects of our daily lives
mores
norms deemed highly necessary to welfare of society
nonmaterial culture
ways of material objects, as well as customs, beliefs, philosophies, governments, and pattern of communication
norm
an established standard of behavior maintained by a society
sanction
a penalty or reward for conduct concerning a social norms
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
a hypothesis concerning the role of language in shaping our interpretation of reality; it holds that language in culturally determined
society
a fairly large number of people who live in same territory, are relatively independent of people outside their area, and participate in common culture
sociobiology
a systematic study of how biology affects human social behavior
subculture
a segment of society that shares a distinctive pattern of customs, rules, and traditions that differ from the pattern of a larger society
symbol
a gesture, object, or words that forms the basis of human communication
technology
cultural information about the ways in which the material resources of the environment may be used to satisfy human needs and desires
value
a collective conception of that is considered good, desirable, and proper – or bad, undesirable, and improper – in a culture
