5. Cultural Patterns and Processes Free Online FlashCards

What is culture?

Culture is the shared way of life of a group, including learned language, beliefs, values, customs, institutions, technologies, and material objects.

What is a cultural landscape?

A cultural landscape is the human imprint on the physical environment, including buildings, farms, roads, place-names, neighborhoods, and land-use patterns.

Define cultural hearth.

A cultural hearth is a place where a cultural trait, practice, or innovation originates and from which it spreads.

What does sequent occupance describe?

Sequent occupance is the layering of cultural evidence left by successive groups occupying the same landscape over time.

What is relocation diffusion?

Relocation diffusion occurs when people move and carry cultural traits such as languages, religions, foods, music, or architecture to new places.

Define contagious diffusion.

Contagious diffusion spreads a cultural trait through direct person-to-person contact, often outward across nearby populations.

What is hierarchical diffusion?

Hierarchical diffusion spreads cultural traits from influential people, institutions, cities, or media centers to others.

Define stimulus diffusion.

Stimulus diffusion occurs when an underlying cultural idea spreads but is modified to fit local traditions or conditions.

What is cultural convergence?

Cultural convergence occurs when increased interaction causes places or groups to become more similar.

What is syncretism?

Syncretism is the blending of elements from different cultural or religious traditions into a new cultural form.

Define lingua franca.

A lingua franca is a language used for communication among people who speak different native languages.

What can cause language loss?

Language loss is the decline or disappearance of a language, often linked to discrimination, forced assimilation, limited local-language education, urbanization, or dominant national languages.