Chapter 6: Language, Communication and Belief Flashcards
cargo cults
involve the belief that certain ritualistic acts will lead to a bestowing of material wealth (“cargo”
cults
systems of veneration and devo- tion among a relatively small group of people having beliefs or practices regarded by outsiders as weird or sinister, or, at least, weirder than some of the belief systems that are legally accepted as religions.
cultural nationalism
is an effort to protect regional and national cultures from the homogenizing impact of globalization, especially from the penetrating influence of U.S. culture
cuneiform
The Sumerians—who lived in Mesopotamia, which is effectively modern-day Iraq—are believed to be one of the earliest people to establish a writing system
dialects
feature pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary that are place-based
diaspora
the spatial dispersion of a previously homogeneous group.
established churches
recognized by law as the official church of the state.
fusion language
influenced by so many other languages.
functional illiteracy
means that an individual’s read- ing and writing skills are inadequate to manage daily living or hold down a job that requires reading skills beyond a basic level.
graffiti
refers to the inscriptions—largely figure drawings—scratched on walls in ancient Rome
hajj
the obligatory once-in-a-lifetime journey of Muslims to Mecca.
islam
is an Arabic term that means
“submission,” specifically submission
to God’s will
islamism
is an anticolonial, anti-imperial political movement
language
a means of communicating ideas or feelings by way of a conventionalized system of signs, gestures, marks, or articulate vocal sounds
language branch
is a collection of languages that possesses a definite common origin but have split into individual languages.