acculturation

American  

[uh-kuhl-chuh-rey-shuhn] / əˌkʌl tʃəˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the process of sharing and learning the cultural traits or social patterns of another group.

   Acculturation of immigrants has contributed to the rich cultural diversity of the city.

2. the result of this process.

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acculturation Cultural  

1. 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).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• acculturational
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of acculturation

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80; ac- + culture + -ation

Compare meaning

How does acculturation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• enculturation vs. acculturation

Explanation

Acculturation is what happens when you live with French people for a while and start going "ooh la la" and eating snails. It means adopting the ways of a culture that isn't yours. Acculturation is related to the word culture. Duh. Culture comes from a Latin word meaning, basically, farming. Now it refers to basically anything that people create and teach each other — singing, dancing, TV. Obviously people in different parts of the world have different cultures, and when they come together, the result is often acculturation. Picture a French guy drinking Coke and wearing a baseball cap and you get the idea.

Example Sentences

Acculturation may be the main reason moviegoers find the sharpness off-putting.

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2016

Acculturation: bibliography, 776-77; defined, 135; problems of, 771-72; and tradition, 172; transmission of cultural elements, 737.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra

Acculturation is the process by which one group or people learns from another, whether the culture or civilization be gotten by imitation or by inculcation.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra

Acculturation, or the transmission of cultural elements from one social group to another, however, has invariably taken place on a larger scale and over a wider area than miscegenation.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra