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.
language family
is a collection of individual languages believed to be related in their prehistoric origin
language group
a cluster of individual languages that are part of a language branch, have shared a common origin in the recent past, and have relatively similar grammar and vocabulary.
language hearth
are a subset of cultural hearths; they are the
source areas of languages.
language tree
a representation of the relationships of languages to each other.
lingua franca
a common language among speakers whose native languages are different
linguistic drift
a process of random change inherent to all languages
linguistic weathering
a sort of “wearing out” of words
literacy
the ability to read and write
mother tongue
a language that a person has learned from birth or the first few years of life
muslim
is a member of
the community of believers whose duty
is obedience and submission to the will
of God
mutually intelligible
When speakers of different but related varieties of languages are able to understand each other
official language
is made in government offices, in the courts, and in the schools and is less alive and more artificial, though it, of course, also changes.
organized religions
When belief systems and associated rituals are systematically arranged and formally established
pictograms
pictures meant to represent words.
place name (toponym)
way that language and geography come together
proto languages
also known as common languages
religion
are belief systems and sets of practices that incorporate the idea of a power higher than humans
sacred spaces
are physical settings recognized by individuals or groups as worthy of special attention because they are the sites of special religious experiences and events
slang
is language that consists of nonstandard words and phrases and is a common occurrence among most language
vocal fry
is the practice of speaking in the lowest voice register to produce a popping or creaky sound at a very low frequency.
