Sunday, October 23, 2011

definitons

1. Affluence = wealth.

-Abu Dhabi is an example of an affluent society.

-The opposite of affluence is poverty.

2. Ethnicity.

-Your ethnicity is determined by factors such as race, religion, language.

3. Ability= skill.

-He has the ability to get very high grades.

4. Diversity = the quality of being different.

-This course is about cultural diversity, which means people of different cultures living and working together.

5. Assimilation = absorption

-Cultural assimilation is the process whereby a minority group gradually adapts to the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture and customs.

6. Demographics = composition of a population.

-The demographics of the UAE are discussed in our first post. You can analyse demographics according to race, religion, age, wealth, etc.

7. Religion = a set of beliefs.

-Religious people try to live according to the teachings of their religion.

8. Race = a group of people with similarities, particularly physical appearance.

-You can a similar nationality but a different race.

9. Multiculturalism = many different cultures.

-A multicultural society is one where people of different cultural backgrounds live and work together.

10. Personality = individual character.

-She has a very nice personality: kind, patient, tolerant and loving.

11. Prejudice = bias.

-Apartheid in S. Africa was based on racial prejudice against black people.

12. Acculturation = the mixing of different cultures.

-If a foreigner here in the UAE says he does something like an Emirati, then that would be an example of acculturation.

13. Bias = prejudice.

-Bias is a negative opinion of a person or group based on race, color, culture or whatever.

14. Discrimination = treating people differently.

-Apartheid meant discrimination in favour of whites and against blacks.

15. Fringe = edge, margin.

-A fringe group is a small minority, usually expressing an extreme opinion.

16. Population = the number of people.

-A census is a count of the number of people in a country.

17. Stereotyping = making assumptions or generalizations about a person or group of people.

-Americans are rich, while Mexicans are poor.

18. Gender = sex.

-There are two genders, male and female.

19. Resistance = opposition.

-There have been many signs of political resistance to established governments in the Arab spring of this year.

20. Advantage = a favoured position.

-If you are an expatriate, being able to speak the local language is a big advantage.

21. Racism = hatred of another person or group of different race, often based on colour.

-The apartheid system in S. Africa was an example of racism.

22. Ethics = morality, i.e. what is right or wrong.

-Ethical behaviour is honest behaviour.

23. Productivity = the ability to produce something.

-The company's productivity rates are rising.

24. Behaviour = the manner of acting/conduct.

-The students' behavior is very good.

25. Belief = confidence, opinion..

-I have great belief in her.

-Tibetans believe in re-incarnation.

26. Majority = most.

-The vast majority of Arabs are Muslim.

27. Income = salary.

-All employees have a monthly income.

28. Adverse = bad, harmful.

-We didn't go on a picnic because of the adverse weather conditions.

29. Values = beliefs.

-I value honesty very highly.

30. Traditions = customs.

-They are handed down from generation to generation.

31. Generation = group of people born at about the same time.

In some societies people talk about a generation gap; each generation has its own ideals & standards.

32. Sensitivity = empathy, awareness of someone else's feelings.

-She's very sensitive. She cares about how other people feel.

33. Slang = slightly improper language.

-Have a shufti at my blog.

34. Ethnocentrism = seeing everything from the viewpoint of your own culture.

-An ethnocentric viewpoint is narrow and limited.

35. Stratification = rigid division of society.

-The Indian caste system is an example of social stratification.

36. Socio-cultural = relating to society & culture.

-Language, ethnicity, religion are all socio-cultural factors.

37. Resident = someone living in a particular place.

-Khalid, Aziz and Hedley are all Abu Dhabi residents.

38. Poverty = being poor.

-The opposite of poverty is affluence or wealth.

39. Nationality = the country you belong to.

-You can have different race or ethnicity but the same nationality.

40. Minority = less than half.

-Christians are a minority of the UAE's population.

41. Class = group.

-You can have upper class, middle class, lower class.

42. Globalization = worldwide connectivity.

-Global brands or logos today are recognised worldwide; we all know the logos of Nike, McDonald, Mercedes etc.

43. Virtual = not real, imaginary.

-Computer games create a virtual world which is not real.

44. Barriers = obstacle.

-To make progress you have to climb over or go round or go through barriers.

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