Unit 3 Vocabulary Flashcards
dialect
a regional variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation
ideograms
the system of writing used in China and other East Asian countries in which each symbol represents an idea of a concept rather than a specific sound
isogloss
a boundary between variations in pronunciation or word usage
language family
a collection of languages related to each other through a common ancestor long before recorded history
language branch
a collection of language related through a common ancestor that existed several thousand years ago - differences are not as extensive or old as language families
language group
a collection of languages within a branch that share a common origin in the relatively recent past
lingua franca
a common language used by people who don’t share the same native language
pidgin language
a language with fewer grammar rules and a smaller vocabulary developed when speakers don’t share the same native language (ex. Swahili)
branch (religion)
a large and fundamental division within a religion
denomination
a division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations in a single legal and administrative body
demography
the scientific study of population characteristics
Diaspora
the displacement of Jews from their homeland
diaspora
displacement of a group from their homeland
hierarchical religion
a religion in which a central authority exercises a high degree of control
missionary
an individual who helps diffuse a universalizing religion
monotheism
the doctrine or belief of the existence of only one god
pagan
a follower of a polytheistic religion in ancient times
polytheism
belief or worship of more than one god
sect
a relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination
syncretism
the combining of different beliefs, religions, cultures, schools of thought
theocracy
countries whose governments are run by religious leaders through the use of religious laws
acculturation
when an ethnic or immigrant group moves to a new area and adopts the values and practices of the larger group that has received them, while still maintaining major elements of their own culture
assimilation
when an ethnic group can no longer be distinguished from the receiving group
cultural hearth
the area in which a unique culture or a specific trait develops
cultural landscape
fashioning of a natural landscape by a cultural group
relocation diffusion
the spread of a cultural trait by people who migrate - ex. the spread of pizza by Italian immigrants to the U.S. in the late 19th century
expansion diffsusion
the spread of cultural traits through direct or indirect exchange without migration
contagious diffusion
when a cultural trait spread continuously outward from its hearth through contact among people - ex. the spread of blues music in the U.S. from the hearth in the south
hierarchical diffusion
the spread of culture outward from centers of wealth and importance - ex. the spread of cell phones
stimulus diffusion
when people in a culture adopt an underlying idea or process from another culture, but modify it because they reject one trait of it - ex. Hindus in India adopting the trait of eating fast food but rejecting eating beef
maladaptive
diffusion of a process with negative side effects or what works well in one region may not in another
gender bias
the discrimination of a gender (usually women)
gender gap
differences in the privileges given to males and females in culture
gendered spaces
areas in which particular genders of people, and particular types of gender expression, are considered welcome or appropriate, and other types are unwelcome or inappropriate
material culture
visible objects that a group possesses and leaves behind for the future
multiculturalism
the coexistence of several cultures in one society
