acculturation

[ uh-kuhl-chuh-rey-shuhn ]

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.

acculturation

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).

Other Words From

• ac·cultur·ation·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of acculturation¹

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

Example Sentences

Since then, the attorneys attempted to show, tribes had undergone an “acculturation” that meant that the importance of salmon to modern Northwest Indians had greatly diminished.

From Seattle Times

"This naturally led to discussions about the impact of other stressors, like discrimination and acculturation, on the infant brain."

From Science Daily

The takeaway, said Scheinost, is that while discrimination and acculturation affect the brain in ways other types of stress do, there is something unique and important about these particular experiences that should be better understood.

From Science Daily

Another is acculturation, which Katz defined as “a process where you keep part of your culture” as you take in a new one.

From Los Angeles Times

“What I think is, most women, by training and acculturation, have gotten farther by collaborating than competing.”

From New York Times