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acculturation

 - 5 dictionary results

ac⋅cul⋅tur⋅a⋅tion

  [uh-kuhl-chuh-rey-shuhn]
Use acculturation in a Sentence
–noun
1. the process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group.
2. the result of this process.
Origin:
1875–80, Americanism; ac- + culture + -ation

Related forms:
ac⋅cul⋅tur⋅a⋅tion⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ac·cul·tur·a·tion   (ə-kŭl'chə-rā'shən)   
n.  

  1. The modification of the culture of a group or individual as a result of contact with a different culture.

  2. The process by which the culture of a particular society is instilled in a human from infancy onward.

ac·cul'tur·a'tion·al adj., ac·cul'tur·a'tive adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

acculturation [(uh-kul-chuh-ray-shuhn)]

The learning of the ideas, values, conventions, and behavior that characterize a social group. (See socialization.) Acculturation is also used to describe the results of contact between two or more different cultures; a new, composite culture emerges, in which some existing cultural features are combined, some are lost, and new features are generated. Usually one culture is dominant (as in the case of colonization).

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

acculturation 
"the adoption and assimilation of an alien culture," 1880, from ad- "to" + culture (q.v.) + -ation.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

acculturation

the processes of change in artifacts, customs, and beliefs that result from the contact of two or more cultures. The term is also used to refer to the results of such changes. Two major types of acculturation, incorporation and directed change, may be distinguished on the basis of the conditions under which cultural contact and change take place

Learn more about acculturation with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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