acculturation

[ uh-kuhl-chuh-rey-shuh n ]
/ əˌkʌl tʃəˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

the process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group.
the result of this process.

Origin of acculturation

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

OTHER WORDS FROM acculturation

ac·cul·tur·a·tion·al, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for acculturation

Cultural definitions for acculturation

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).