cultural diffusion
- noun
- /ˈkʌltʃərəl dɪˈfjuːʒən/
- Specialized
:
difusión cultural
- Contact can also result in the expansion of the geographical range of a language without the replacement or displacement of existing populations through cultural assimilation, cultural diffusion, and language adoption (Bellwood 2009).
Examples
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The rise of the internet has accelerated cultural diffusion, allowing people to easily exchange ideas and customs.
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But cultural diffusion is never all one way.
Academic text (1990) -
And for some reason, the thing about mass-marketed cultural diffusion really resonates with me.
Blog text (8) -
Issues of population growth, personal family migration, history, and cultural diffusion can become the focus of historical inquiry, and so can the interaction between geography, culture, and the environment.
Academic text (1990) -
The cultural geographers had come up with an activity on cultural diffusion that we jokingly called "What if Isabel had said walk!"
Academic text (1998) -
This task was supported by academic efforts to trace people and inventions back to a single Middle Eastern cradle of civilization, a practice legitimized by theories of cultural diffusion.
Academic text (1997) -
Since 2004, a remarkable case of cultural diffusion has brought Louisiana's seafood cuisine to California and beyond, and created a market for crawfish harvested in California (Figure 6).
Academic text (2013) -
Cultural diffusion occurs when cultural diffusion happens through the sharing of traditions and practices between different societies.
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For students studying anthropology, understanding cultural diffusion is essential to grasp how societies evolve over time.
Synonyms
5
5.8
Spreading ideas or customs to many places
4
6.5
Spreading ideas or beliefs so more people accept them
3
3.0
A way for people from different cultures to share ideas, traditions, and customs
2
8.2
Adopting the customs and daily life of another culture
The sharing of ideas between different groups that creates useful new ideas
Different cultures mix to make new food and music
How Widespread
- Specialized
3
3.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: 'cultural' (relating to culture) combined with 'diffusion' (gradual spread) yields the straightforward meaning 'the spread of cultural elements.' This noun + noun logic is common cross-linguistically and follows standard semantic composition, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Cultural diffusion creates a simple picture: imagine a drop of dye in water slowly spreading its color. Here cultural means ideas and customs, and diffusion is like that dye moving, so the phrase means 'the spread' of cultural things from one group to another.