cculturation: Definition, Theory &

Examples
Chapter 25 / Lesson 12
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Instructor: Jessica McCallister

The following lesson explains how individuals and groups experience acculturation by discussing
four main factors associated with acculturation: language, immersion, assimilation and integration. A
quiz is provided to assess your understanding of the topic.

Definition of Acculturation
The base word of acculturation is culture. What is culture? Simply stated, culture means a way of
living and a way of life. Culture means that there are certain ways and reasons in which individuals
and groups of people speak, conduct themselves, celebrate holidays and express their belief
systems. As you can imagine, there is a tremendous diversity of cultures around the world.
Some of these cultures include American, Hispanic, Asian and European cultures. When discussing
cultures, we can break down the larger geographic areas into smaller regions. For example, if you
were asked to discuss the American culture, you might explain that there is a difference between
those living on the West Coast versus those living on the East Coast. Perhaps a difference might be
in the food that people eat, the clothes that people wear, or the customs and activities that they
participate in.
Perhaps you were asked to discuss the Hispanic or South American culture. In doing so, there are
many subcultures such as Mexican, Brazilian, Chilean, Honduran and so on. There are as many
cultures in the world as there are countries, states and regions!

Understanding the term culture can lead us to more fully understand the terms associated with the
theory of acculturation. So what does acculturation mean? When individuals or groups of people
transition from living a lifestyle of their own culture to moving into a lifestyle of another culture, they
must acculturate, or come to adapt to the new culture's behaviors, values, customs and language.
The word acculturation is the act of that transition.

Theories of Acculturation
The theory of acculturation can be broken down to include a few different topics; these include
learning a new language, immersion, assimilation and integration. Let's take a look at each of these
terms more closely.

Language and Immersion

Language and immersion can be some of the most important parts of the acculturation process. In
fact, social theorist John Schumann proposed that language is the largest factor in successfully
acculturating. For example, if you were a Hispanic or South American native, and you moved to the
United States, you would have to learn to speak English in order to fully understand and even feel
comfortable living and communicating in the American culture.
As you can imagine, transitioning into a new culture might often require learning a new language.
While you can learn a new language by using audio CDs or taking lessons from an instructor, one of
the most effective ways to learn a new language is through immersion.
A great way to acculturate is to move from your native country into the new country and live with and
learn directly from the natives. When you immerse or surround yourself entirely in a new culture, you
learn first-hand what that new culture is all about. Immersion doesn't only include practicing the
language directly with native speakers, but also includes coming to understand the customs,
traditions, acceptable behaviors and so on.
The immersion phase of acculturation can be very challenging and stressful. Why? As you can
imagine, growing up and living your own culture is easy; you don't know any different from what you
have learned your entire life! However, being open and willing to set aside your own cultural
background and beliefs, as well as learn a new language, can come with hesitation, confusion and
can often be time consuming.

Vernacular Language
Sometimes the process of acculturation doesn't necessarily include learning a new language but
also includes learning the meaning of certain words or adjusting to the local dialect. For example, if
you were an American native moving to British Columbia, Canada, you could continue to speak
English, but would also want to learn the different meanings of words that are associated with the
Canadian culture.
In the United States, the term bathroom is used as opposed to the term washroom, which is used in
British Columbia. The language and word choices spoken by the native people are referred to as

the vernacular. Using the above example, even though Canadians speak English, some of the word
choices they use have to be learned by a non-native as part of the acculturation process.
In Great Britain, the bathroom is referred to as the loo. In Australia, a friend or acquaintance is
referred to as amate. As you can see, not only does acculturation include learning a new language or
immersing yourself into the culture, it also includes learning the meanings and associations of new
words and phrases.
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http://study.com/academy/lesson/acculturation-definition-theory-examples.html

Examples of Assimilation
The general definition of assimilation is the process of two different things coming together to
blend and, in some cases, create a new thing all together. However, that is a very simplistic
understanding of the process itself as there are many different types of assimilation.

Types of Assimilation
The following are some examples of assimilation:

Color assimilation - This is perhaps one of the easiest models that demonstrates
assimilation. If you mix a small amount of the color red with a large amount of blue, the
red is assimilated into the larger mix. Though the red is absorbed, it changes the hue of
blue so that it becomes something different and shifts in the spectrum of color.

Cultural assimilation - Cultural assimilation happens when two cultures or groups of

people influence one another. Cultural customs, traditions, and religious practices can all
be assimilated between two or more cultures. Often times, these groups live near one
another. Influence may be derived from trade, invasion, and/or intermarrying between the
groups.

Religious assimilation - A perfect example of religious assimilation is the assimilation of

Pagan customs and ceremonies into Christianity. When Christianity became the
predominate religion, they took Pagan holy days such as Yule and the Spring Equinox, or
Ostara, and claimed them as Christmas and Easter. They adopted traditions such as the
decorating of fir trees at Christmas and the use of symbols of fertility at Easter such as
Easter eggs.

Another example of religious assimilation would be that of the Romans and Greeks. When Rome
conquered Greece, they adopted their gods; Zeus, ruler of the gods, became Jupiter, Poseidon,
god of the sea, became Neptune, Hades became Pluto, and the list goes on.

Linguistic assimilation - This type of assimilation often occurs when two neighboring
groups of people or territories influence one anothers way of speaking.

For example, in the North East of America, there is a very distinctive, almost nasal, accent.
Within that large group, there are smaller pockets of accents -- a Boston accent would be
different from a Brooklyn accent, for instance -- however, both accents are easily identifiable as
the larger whole of a North-Eastern accent. Linguistic assimilation also occurs in popular
slang. Often, neighboring communities will have different slang words for the same things. If
you move from one place to another, over time, you will quite often pick up on, and assimilate
your own language with, the new slang or dialect.

Physiological assimilation - Physiological assimilation refers to the conversion of

ingested nutrients into energy that fuels the body as a greater whole. For example, a
starch molecule will be broken down into smaller carbohydrates, some of which will be
used for fuel and others which can be modified to become part of the cell structure of the
organism.

Statistical assimilation - Assimilation in a statistical capacity refers to the gathering data

over time to in order obtain a clearer picture of that which is being studied. Data is
assimilated and allows the person compiling the statistics a better understanding of how
things work over all. A piece of data collected is assimilated into the model and becomes
part of the mechanism by which all of the subsequent data is interpreted.

These examples of assimilation should give you a better idea of all of the different types of
assimilation and how they occur.
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-assimilation.html

Acculturation is a handy academic term to use when you don't want to say "assimilation"
but want to indicate some degree of cross-cultural exchange or mimicry.
But the description or nature of such exchanges signified by "acculturation" vary widely.
For seminars related to this website, acculturation refers particularly to the "selective
assimilation" that a minority group may make with a dominant culture that does not allow
or encourage full assimilation.
Assimilation is often seen as a fairly rapid sequence of total change, as in the threegeneration assimilation pattern for immigrants known as Hansen's Law.
Acculturation appears to work more successfully over longer periods in which a minority
ethnic group can maintain its traditional culture while selectively adopting dominantculture practices or elements that do not overwhelm their original culture.
Examples of acculturation in this sense:

Except in much earlier times, horses did not exist in North America until brought here by
Spanish. However, by the time Anglo-Americans encountered tribes like the Sioux in
northern North America, horses had been completely absorbed into their Native American
culture and religion, as though they had always been there. ("Traditional" cultures often
acculturate rather than assimilate.)
The use of Snomobiles in place of dog sleds by the Inuit. (wiki.answers.com)
Teaching and Learning with Native Americans: Understanding Native Americans and
Acculturation
Example 1: A Native American individual may come to Phoenix and live with a relative and
decide to go back to school. The individual may go home to the reservation on weekends for
social gatherings or to help parents/grandparents with crops, livestock, and chores at home. The
family utilizes the Indian Health Service when in the city but will go home for traditional healing
ceremonies when needed. . . . This individual will probably be traditional to some extent but yet
also acculturated in the sense that the individual is getting an education and living in the city.

Oxford English Dictionary: Adoption of or adaptation to a different culture, esp. that of a

colonizing, conquering, or majority group; an instance of this.

Merriam-Webster.com: cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by

adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture; also: a merging of cultures as a
result of prolonged contact

Rice University Hispanic Health: Acculturation is a process in which members of one

cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another group. Although acculturation is
usually in the direction of a minority group adopting habits and language patterns
of the dominant group, acculturation can be reciprocal--that is, the dominant group
also adopts patterns typical of the minority group. Assimilation of one cultural group
into another may be evidenced by changes in language preference, adoption of common
attitudes and values, membership in common social groups and institutions, and loss of
separate political or ethnic identification.

from Yahoo Answers: What is the difference between assimilation and acculturation?

Thank you for this question which is of utmost interest for a social worker (which I
am...). Here is what I found for you:
Cultural assimilation (often called merely assimilation) is a process of integration
whereby members of an ethno-cultural community (such as immigrants, or ethnic
minorities) are "absorbed" into another, generally larger, community. This implies
the loss of the characteristics of the absorbed group, such as language, customs,
ethnicity and self-identity.
Assimilation may be spontaneous, which is usually the case with immigrants, or forced,
as is often the case of the assimilation of ethnic minorities (see forced assimilation).
A region or society where several different groups are spontaneously assimilated is
sometimes referred to as a melting pot.
--------------------------------------...
Acculturation is the exchange of cultural features that results when groups come
into continuous firsthand contact; the original cultural patterns of either or both groups
may be altered, but the groups remain distinct. (Kottak 2007)
However, anthropologist Franz Boas (1888, pp. 631-632) argued that all people
acculturate, not only "savages" and minorities: "It is not too much to say that there is no
people whose customs have developed uninfluenced by foreign culture, that has not
borrowed arts and ideas which it has developed in its own way", giving the example that
"the steel harpoon used by American and Scotch whalers is a slightly modified imitation
of the Eskimo harpoon".
Subsequently, anthropologists Redfield, Linton and Herskovits (1936, p.149) developed
the oft quoted definition: "Acculturation comprehends those phenomena which result
when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first-hand
contact, with subsequent changes in the original culture patterns of either or both groups".
Despite definitions and evidence that acculturation entails two-way processes of
change, research and theory have continued with a focus on the adjustments and
changes experienced by aboriginal peoples, immigrants, sojourners, and other
minorities in response to their contact with the dominant majority.
Thus, acculturation can be conceived to be the processes of cultural learning imposed
upon minorities by the fact of being minorities. If enculturation is first-culture
learning, then acculturation is second-culture learning. This has often been conceived
to be a unidimensional, zero-sum cultural conflict in which the minority's culture is
displaced by the dominant group's culture in a process of assimilation. . . .

Another source on acculturation as "selective assimilation":

Univision Research Inc.: Elizabeth Ellers, "Acculturation is Not a One-Way Street"
. . . Our research is full of examples of a sort of a-la-carte acculturation in which
Hispanics are quickly and eagerly adopting some aspects of mainstream American culture
while holding on tightly to aspects of the Hispanic culture. Yankelovich MONITOR has
found that 80% of Hispanics agree that Immigrants to this country should be prepared to
adapt to the American way of life yet 87% also agree that they Feel need to preserve
my own cultural traditions. . . .
. . . understanding how Hispanic consumers interact with their brands is the first step in
capitalizing on this growth opportunity.
A few illustrations of this dynamic in everyday life:

Walmart stocks its Hispanic Supercenters with both dried beans in bulk and Welchs
squeezable grape jelly, because Walmart has learned that Hispanic moms are shopping for
family meals in which she values traditional foods and also shopping for her children
who have acquired a taste for PB&J at school.

According to The Associated Press-Univision Poll conducted in 2010 by the National

Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, 41% of HispanicAmericans observe Semana Santa (Holy Week) while 75% celebrate the Fourth of July.
Two of the most popular foods among Hispanic-Americans are beans and rice AND
macaroni and cheese.

One in five Hispanic-American men watched both the Super Bowl AND the World Cup
tournament in 2010, again demonstrating that adopting some aspects of non-Hispanic
American culture is not done at the expense of retaining an important part of Hispanic
popular culture.

Hispanics are as likely to eat peppers (54%) as they are to eat pickles (53%), and almost
as likely to eat bagels (53%) as tortillas (66%).

We also see examples of neo-acculturation, in which Hispanics experiment with some aspects
of American culture, trying them on for size, so to speak, but then returning to their roots.
Marriage and parenthood is often a trigger, when Hispanic-Americans re-assert the importance of
carrying on their language, values, cultures and traditions to the next generation. . . .
http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/terms/A/acculturation.htm
Definition: Acculturation is a process in which members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs
and behaviors of another group. Although acculturation is usually in the direction of a minority
group adopting habits and language patterns of the dominant group, acculturation can be

reciprocal--that is, the dominant group also adopts patterns typical of the minority group.
Acculturation may be evidenced by changes in language preference, adoption of common
attitudes and values, members hip in common social groups and institutions, and loss of
separate political or ethnic identification.
http://sociology.about.com/od/A_Index/g/Acculturation.htm