“Acculturation” is the term used to describe the adoption of certain cultural and social characteristics of one society by another society. It usually occurs when one society is controlled, either politically, economically, socially, or all of these, by another society. And the people are forced to adapt their cultural experiences in order to survive in this new social climate.

Although Mexico sends far more immigrants to the United States than Cuba does in any given year, the majority of Mexican immigrants arrive in the southwest of the United States. Cuban immigrants tend to arrive, almost exclusively, in South Florida. This has contributed a great deal to the ethnic makeup of Miami, as well as its culture.

A “pidgin” language is a language that develops when two or more different languages meet in one geographic region- often when colonizers and the colonized live together in close proximity. The resulting language has elements of both the original languages. When a “pidgin” evolves into the primary language of a region it is called a “Creole” language.

The term “cultural appropriation” is used to describe a situation where a dominant social or cultural group takes an expression, idea, or product from an oppressed cultural group and uses it for its own benefit. So, the use of Native-American tribal names in American sports (Redskins, Blackhawks, Braves, and so on) is an example of cultural appropriation.

India was, for a long time, controlled by the British Empire. Many wealthy Indians were educated in English and English language came to take on an elitist status on the Indian subcontinent. This has led to a classic example of “acculturation,” whereby even though India has been independent from Britain since the mid-1940s the English language continues to be widely used and influential on the continent - particularly in areas of elite culture like law, economics, and business.

J.W. Powell is credited with coining the term acculturation. Powell coined this term in 1880 and served as the second director in the U.S. Geological Survey. 

The Latin language and culture was adopted and is the basis of most modern day languages. The language became dominant due to the power of the Roman people. 

Culture hearth is the area where innovations in culture began and from which such cultural elements spread out to other regions. 

Enculturation describes the process of first culture learning, whereas acculturation describes the process of second culture learning. Through first culture learning, individuals learn about their surrounding culture and shape their values and behaviors based on their learnings. This term is related to socialization. 

Acculturation has been studied in the Psychology, Anthropology and Sociology fields. Scientific studies regarding the term have been studied since 1918. A variety of theories and definitions have been created throughout the years. Current studies focus around individuals and adaption to their cultures.