Culture Basics
This is the shared set of behaviors, beliefs, traits, and traditions learned by a group of people.
What is culture?
This term means the visible human impact on the land.
What is a cultural landscape?
The spread of an idea, trait, or innovation from one place to another is called this.
What is diffusion?
English, Spanish, and Hindi are all examples of this broad category.
What are languages?
Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism are examples of this type of religion.
What are universalizing religions?
This refers to a group of people who share a common ancestry, language, history, or culture.
What is ethnicity?
A place where a culture trait first develops is called this.
What is a culture hearth?
A church steeple, mosque dome, or temple complex on the landscape is an example of this shaping space.
What is religion shaping the cultural landscape?
When people physically move and bring their culture with them, it is this type of diffusion.
What is relocation diffusion?
A language family is best described as this.
What is a group of related languages with a common ancestral origin?
Hinduism and Judaism are examples of this type of religion.
What are ethnic religions?
A neighborhood with a strong concentration of one ethnic group is often called this.
What is an ethnic enclave?
These are visible, material parts of culture such as food, clothing, and housing.
What are artifacts?
A region where people share one or more cultural traits is called this.
What is a cultural region?
This type of diffusion spreads outward from a central node without requiring migration.
What is expansion diffusion?
This is the most widely spoken language family in the world.
What is Indo-European?
This is the place where a religion originated.
What is a religious hearth?
This process occurs when one group forces another group to adopt its culture.
What is assimilation?
These are the nonmaterial ideas of a culture, such as beliefs and values.
What are mentifacts?
Folk cultures are usually found in these kinds of places.
What are rural and relatively isolated areas?
When an idea spreads first among the most connected or powerful people and places, it is this type.
What is hierarchical diffusion?
A language used among speakers of different native languages for trade or communication is called this.
What is a lingua franca?
The spread of Christianity through missionaries is an example of this process.
What is diffusion?
This term refers to the loss of local cultural traits as outside influences spread.
What is cultural homogenization?
This term refers to the ways people organize society, such as families, schools, and governments.
What are sociofacts?
Explain why landscapes can reveal the beliefs and values of a culture.
Because people modify land based on their religion, values, traditions, and daily practices, the built environment reflects what a culture sees as important.
Explain the difference between relocation diffusion and hierarchical diffusion.
Relocation diffusion happens when people move and carry ideas with them, while hierarchical diffusion spreads through important people or major places first, then outward to others.
Explain why English has become a major global lingua franca.
Because of imperialism, globalization, trade, media, and technology, English spread widely and became useful for international communication.
Explain one major difference between universalizing and ethnic religions.
Universalizing religions seek converts and spread widely, while ethnic religions are usually tied to one cultural group and place of origin.
Explain how globalization can both spread culture and threaten local identity.
Because globalization spreads media, products, and ideas quickly, cultures may become more connected; therefore, local traditions and identities may weaken as global culture becomes more dominant.