Unit 3: Cultural Geography

Question 1

custom

Answer 1

frequent repetition of an act until it becomes characteristic of a group of people

Question 2

culture

Answer 2

the shared practices, technologies, attitudes, and behaviors passed down by a society

Question 3

local culture

Answer 3

folk, traditional, ethnic, indigenous, small (homogenous groups), isolated, cultures with anonymous hearths

Question 4

global culture

Answer 4

popular, universalizing, large (heterogeneous groups) culture that occurs in different places, with different ethnicities and lifestyles

Question 5

taboo

Answer 5

behaviors heavily discouraged by a culture

Question 6

cultural relativism

Answer 6

the practice of understanding another culture based on their own standards - the key is understanding

Question 7

ethnocentrism

Answer 7

judging another culture based on the standards of one’s own culture - the key is “judging”

Question 8

cultural landscape

Answer 8

a geographic area where the natural landscape has been modified by humans, reflecting their cultural beliefs, values, and practices

Question 9

sense of place

Answer 9

when a place has a persona

Question 10

placemaking

Answer 10

when a community or cultural group plans a public space

Question 11

placelessness

Answer 11

the ubiquitous and constant feeling of different places
ex: suburbia, typical island beaches, etc.

Question 12

centripetal force

Answer 12

a factor that unites people within a state, creating a sense of national identity and cohesion. essentially pulling people together and strengthening the stability of a country
ex: common language, common religion

Question 13

centrifugal force

Answer 13

a factor that pulls a country or society apart, creating a division and tension among different groups within a state, often due to differences in ethnicity, language, religion, or economic inequality
ex: the Democratic and Republican political parties of the US, the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam

Question 14

cultural hearth

Answer 14

area in which a unique culture or specific trait develops

Question 15

relocation diffusion

Answer 15

spread of a cultural trait by people who migrate and carry their cultural traits with them

Question 16

expansion diffusion - contagious

Answer 16

cultural traits spread continuously outward from its hearth through contact among people
ex: blues music has a hearth in the Southern US but is popular in NYC and Chicago

Question 17

expansion diffusion - hierarchical

Answer 17

spread of culture from the most interconnected place/culture of wealth and importance

Question 18

expansion diffusion - stimulus

Answer 18

people in a culture adopt an underlying idea or process from another culture but modify it
ex: Indians eating Western fast food but modifying it to be vegetarian

Question 19

creolization

Answer 19

the process where different cultures blend together, creating a new, distinct cultural expression
ex: Greek gods becoming Roman gods

Question 20

lingua franca

Answer 20

7 languages which cumulatively enjoy official status across 75% of the world’s land areas
ex: English, Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish

Question 21

historic causes of diffusion

Answer 21

colonization: Spain onto much of the current day South America (caused similar languages, religions, etc.)
imperialism: British onto the 13 colonies
trade: goods transported from Japan to the Philippines and vice versa allowed for similar uses of certain foods and products

Question 22

contemporary causes of diffusion

Answer 22

means: media, technological change, politics, economics/social relationships
ex: TV, books, cell phones, Internet, online friends

Question 23

cultural convergence

Answer 23

theory that 2 cultures will be more and more like each other as their interactions increase

Question 24

cultural divergence

Answer 24

when a culture separates or goes in a different direction

Question 25

language

Answer 25

a system of communication through speech - a collection of sounds that a group of people understands to have the same meaning

Question 26

language family

Answer 26

a collection of languages that are related to each other through a common ancestral language

Question 27

language branch

Answer 27

a group of languages within a language family that share a common ancestor

Question 28

language group

Answer 28

a collection of languages within a single branch that share a relatively recent common origin, displaying minimal differences in grammar and vocabulary compared to other languages within the same branch

Question 29

dialect

Answer 29

variants of a standard language along regional/ethnic lines (vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation, etc.)

Question 30

accent

Answer 30

part of a dialect; how you say a word

Question 31

isogloss

Answer 31

a geographic boundary where a particular linguistic feature - like a dialect or a word is found ex: you guys vs. y'all, pop vs. soda

Question 32

religion

Answer 32

a set of beliefs and rituals concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, and to help humans understand their place in the world

Question 33

universalizing religion

Answer 33

religions that actively seek to convert and operate on a global scale, spread through expansion and relocation diffusion appeals to people everywhere, an individual founder ex: Christianity

Question 34

ethnic religion

Answer 34

religions appealing to one group in one place; not as active in recruitment; born into - spread through relocation diffusion has meaning to a particular place, an unknown hearth ex: Hinduism

Question 35

denomination

Answer 35

a division or a branch that unites a number of local congregations into a single administrative body ex: denominations of Protestantism include Lutheran, Baptist, and Methodist

Question 36

religious branch/sect

Answer 36

larger/major divisions within a religion ex: in Christianity, you can be a Catholic or a Protestant

Question 37

acculturation

Answer 37

a culture adapts some traits of the dominant culture but still retains some of its cultural aspects

Question 38

assimilation

Answer 38

a group's cultural features are altered to resemble those of another group - the trait that is maintained the longest is religion

Question 39

syncretism

Answer 39

blending traits from 2 different cultures to form a new trait ex: sushi burrito

Question 40

multiculturalism

Answer 40

coexistence of several cultures in one society, with the ideal of all cultures being of value and worth of study (cultural relativism)