1. Cultural Patterns and Processes
Unit 6

2. I. Culture
Ch. 4 – Folk and Popular Culture

3. A. Culture - Defined
Geographers are interested in the origin, diffusion, and distribution of culutral characteristics.
Material culture is made up of artifacts, sociofacts, and mentifacts.
Cultural traits are specific customs that are a part of everyday life, and the group of traits that define a particular culture is called a cultural complex.
Traditions are cohesive collections of customs. They can be syncretic, blending cultural traits from different sources, or dynamic, changing over time.

4. B. Acculturation, Assimilation, and Transculturation
Acculturation occurs when two cultures come into contact with one another, and the “weaker” of the two adopts traits from the more dominant culture
This can lead to assimilation, when the original traits of the weaker culture are completely replaced by the traits of the more dominant culture.
Sometimes transculturation occurs when two cultures of just about equal power or influence meet and exchange ideas and traits.

5. II. Folk and Popular Culture
Ch. 4 – Folk and Popular Culture

6. A. Folk vs. Popular Culture - Defined
Folk culture is small, incorporates a homogenous population, is typically rural, and is cohesive in cultural traits. Traits tend to originate form anonymous hearths and only diffuse through relocation diffusion.
Popular culture is large, incorporates heterogeneous populations, is typically urban, and experiences quickly changing traits. Traits can diffuse through relocation or expansion diffusion.

7. PARTNER BRAINSTORM: Folk Culture vs. Popular Culture
Compare and contrast the characteristics of folk and popular culture in terms of the following:
Food preferences
Clothing
Music
Sports
Housing
Be sure to provide concrete examples from the reading!
PARTNER BRAINSTORM: Folk Culture vs. Popular Culture
You can record your responses in your notes. Although you will work with your partner to complete this brainstorm, you each should write your own responses.

8. B. Threats to Folk Culture
Loss of traditional values – new trends challenge the status quo
Foreign media imperialism – “Western world” controls the media

9. C. Challenges to Accessing Electronic Media
Television diffused more slowly than the Internet.
Government control of TV occurs in many countries.
Some countries also limit access to the Internet by placing restrictions on political, social, and security content.

10. D. Environmental Impact of Popular Culture
Popular culture has created uniform landscapes around the globe. Fast food restaurants are a good example of this.
Popular culture can also have a negative environmental impact, creating increased demand for natural resources, pollution, etc.

11. E. Glocalization
Glocalization refers to the adaptation of a product or service to the culture of each region where it’s being sold.

12. III. Languages of the World
Ch. 5 – Languages

13. A. Types of Language
Non-spoken languages include sign language, body language, and touch or tactile language
Spoken languages include natural languages and artificial languages

14. B. Languages by Size About 6,900 languages
A lot of small languages and just a handful of very large languages (recent phenomenon)

15. C. Language Families
Most languages have a historical relationship with one or more other languages. The term language family and branch express these relationships.
6 major language families: Indo- European, Sino-Tibetan, Afro- Asiatic, Niger-Congo, Austronesian, Trans-New Guinea

16. D. Indo-European Language Family
The Indo-European language family has the largest number of speakers and the widest geographical distribution
The Indo-European language family is divided into multiple branches.

17. D. Indo-European Language Family
Renfrew Hypothesis: Began in the Fertile Crescent and diffused to Anatolia, the Western Arc, and the Eastern Arc.

18. D. Indo-European Language Family
Agriculture Theory: Increased food supply and population caused migration of speakers from the hearth into Europe

19. D. Indo-European Language Family
Dispersal Hypothesis: From the hearth eastward into present-day Iran, around the Caspian, and into Europe.

20. D. Indo-European Language Family
The dominant European language branches are Romance, Germanic, and Slavic

21. E. South Asian Languages
Indo- European is the largest of four main languages in S. Asia. India has 18 official languages.

22. F. Sub-Saharan African Languages
Dominant language family is Niger-Congo.

23. IV. Language Diffusion and Globalization
Ch. 5 – Languages

24. A. How Languages Diffuse
Human interaction
Print distribution
Migration
Trade
Rise of nation-states
Colonialism/Imperialism
Religion
Tourism

25. B. Multilingualism Monolingual State: one language is spoken
Multilingual State: more than one language is spoken
Official Language: gov’t-selected language(s) used to enhance communication in a multilingual state

26. Case Study: Nigeria Hundreds of languages
Nigeria is a colonial creation
Choice of English as “official” language rather than any indigenous language

27. C. Language Dynamics Languages change over time
New technologies and innovations can add new vocabulary words
Words are also borrowed from other languages – loanwords
Migration can cause languages to change

28. D. Pidgin and Creole Languages
Pidgin language: combines parts of two or more languages into a simplified structure and vocabulary
Creole language: pidgin language that developed a more complex structure and vocabulary

29. E. Lingua Franca
A lingua franca is a language used among speakers of different languages for purposes of trade and commerce.
English is commonly used as a lingua franca for commerce, science, travel, business, and pop culture.
The language of international communication is English.

30. F. Language Endangerment and Diversity
The world is currently experiencing the fastest rate of language extinction ever.
Geographers analyze how linguistically diverse a country is by computing a linguistic diversity index (LDI).

31. F. Dialects
Geographer Hans Kurath began studying dialect geography and identified isoglosses, which shows the boundary of word usage.
Some standard dialects can be accepted as the norm or authoritative model of language usage.

32. V. Religions of the World
Ch. 6 - Religions

33. A. Categories of Religion
Monotheistic religions: single god
Polytheistic religions: many gods
Animistic religions: inanimate objects possess spirits

34. B. Major Types of Religion
Universalizing religions actively seek converts and believe that they offer universal appropriateness and appeal. They include Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
Ethnic religions have adherents born into the faith and don’t actively seek converts. Except for Judaism, ethnic religions are usually spatially located.

35. C. Religious Hearths: South Asia
Hinduism: polytheistic religion originated in the Indus River Valley over 4,000 years ago
Buddhism splintered from Hinduism 2,500 years ago
Shintoism originated in Japan

36. D. Religious Hearth: Eastern Mediterranean (Semitic Hearth)
Judaism began with the teachings of Abraham and diffused mostly through diasporas.

37. D. Religious Hearth: Eastern Mediterranean (Semitic Hearth)
Christianity began with the teachings of Jesus and split from Judaism.
The church split into Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic.
The Protestant Reformation led to the creation of many new Christian religions.

38. D. Religious Hearth: Eastern Mediterranean (Semitic Hearth)
Islam was founded by Muhammad.
Two branches – Shi’ite and Sunni. Sacred text Quran.
Kings used armies to spread faith across Arabian Peninsula. Islam later spread by trade.

39. E. Religion and the Cultural Landscape
Sacred sites: places or spaces people infuse with religious meaning
Pilgrimage: adherents voluntarily travel to a religious site to pay respects or participate in a ritual at the site

40. F. Religion and Political Conflicts
Israel and Palestine: WWII, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, West Bank, Hamas
Nigeria: Muslim North and Christian South
The Former Yugoslavia: Balkan Peninsula separates the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church
Northern Ireland: Catholics and Protestants

41. G. Fundamentalism and Extremism
Religious fundamentalism: beliefs are nonnegotiable and uncompromising
Religious extremism: fundamentalism is carried to the point of violence

42. VI. Identity: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender
Ch. 7 - Ethnicities

43. A. Geography and Gender
Gender Gap: a disparity between men and women in their opportunities, rights, benefits, behavior, or attitudes.

44. B. Ethnicity, Race, and Nationality
Ethnicity is defined as the identity of a group of people who share the cultural traditions of a particular homeland or hearth.
Race is defined as the traits that can be transmitted genetically from parents to children.
Nationality is defined as the identity with a group of people who share legal attachment to a particular country.

45. C. African American Migration in the US
Forced international migration of African Americans occurred during the triangular slave trade.
Interregional migration occurred when many African Americans migrated from the rural South to cities in the Northeast, Midwest, and West.
Intraregional migration occurred as African Americans moved from inner-city ghettos to outer city and suburban neighborhoods. Blockbusting encouraged “white flight” as a result.

46. D. Segregation by Ethnicity and Race
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld the constitutionality of “separate but equal”
“Jim Crow” laws were used to segregate African Americans, especially in Southern states

47. F. South African Apartheid
Apartheid is the physical separation of races into different geographic areas.
Apartheid laws in South Africa existed from