Year 12 SQA Sociology: Key Terms & Vocabulary Quick Memorisation Guide | Year 12 SQA 社会学：核心术语速记指南

📚 Year 12 SQA Sociology: Key Terms & Vocabulary Quick Memorisation Guide | Year 12 SQA 社会学：核心术语速记指南

Mastering sociology requires more than just understanding theories – it demands a confident command of the discipline’s specialised vocabulary. This guide is designed to help Year 12 SQA learners quickly memorise key terms by pairing each concept with a clear definition, a memorable hook, and its Chinese equivalent. Use it as a daily revision companion to move from confusion to clarity.

掌握社会学不仅仅是理解理论，还需要自信地驾驭这门学科的专用词汇。本指南专为 Year 12 SQA 学习者设计，通过为每个概念配上清晰的定义、一条令人印象深刻的记忆线索和其中文等价词，帮助大家快速牢记核心术语。把它用做每日复习伴侣，从混淆走向清晰。

1. Fundamental Concepts: Society, Culture and Socialisation | 基础概念：社会、文化与社会化

Every sociological investigation begins with these foundational building blocks. Store them by picturing society as a stage, culture as the script, and socialisation as the rehearsal process.

每一项社会学探究都从这些基础构件开始。记住它们的方法：把社会想象成一个舞台，文化是剧本，而社会化则是排练的过程。

Society – a structured community of people sharing a common territory and institutions. Memory tip: think ‘so-sigh-ety’ – the collective sigh of people living by shared rules.

社会 – 共享一片领土和制度的有组织人群。速记提示：联想“社”字由“示”和“土”组成，寓意在土地上展示共同生活。

Culture – the whole way of life of a group, including norms, values, beliefs and language. Recall ‘cult-ure’ as the garden where shared meanings are cultivated.

文化 – 一个群体的完整生活方式，包含规范、价值观、信仰和语言。速记提示：“文”像编织的网，“化”是内化，文化就是将意义之网内化于心。

Norms – unwritten rules that guide behaviour in specific situations. Think ‘normal’ – norms are simply what most people consider normal.

规范 – 指引特定情境下行为的非成文规则。速记提示：“规”是圆规，“范”是模子，规范就是社会无形中画出的行为模具。

Values – deeply held beliefs about what is good, right and desirable. Link ‘value’ to what you value, like honesty or success.

价值观 – 关于什么是好、对、可取的深层信念。速记提示：就是你认为最有“价值”的东西。

Socialisation – the lifelong process of learning societal norms and values. Imagine a ‘social-eyes-ation’ where society’s eyes watch you internalise rules.

社会化 – 终身学习社会规范与价值观的过程。速记提示：“社会”+“化”，被社会同化的过程，如同食物“消化”。

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2. Social Identity: Ethnicity, Gender, Class and Beyond | 社会身份：种族、性别、阶级及其他

Identity is formed at the intersection of various social categories. Use the acronym ‘RACE-G’ (Religion, Age, Class, Ethnicity, Gender, disability) to recall the key strands of differentiation.

身份是在各种社会类别的交汇处形成的。用首字母“RACE-G”（宗教、年龄、阶级、种族、性别、（失能）残疾）来回忆主要的分化维度。

Ethnicity – shared cultural heritage, language, religion and traditions. Reminder: ethnicity is about culture, not biology; think ‘ethnic = culture kit’.

种族/民族 – 共享的文化遗产、语言、宗教和传统。提示：种族关乎文化而非血缘，就像随身携带的“文化工具箱”。

Gender – socially constructed roles, behaviours and attributes considered appropriate for men and women. Separate ‘gender = social’ from ‘sex = biological’ by the ‘r’ in gender standing for ‘role’.

性别（社会性别） – 社会建构的、被认为适合男性或女性的角色、行为与特质。速记：“社会性别”的“社”字，提醒你它是社会的产物。

Social class – a group sharing a similar economic and social position, often measured by occupation, income and wealth. Picture a classroom: some sit at the front (upper class), some at the back (working class).

社会阶级 – 共享相似经济与社会位置的群体，常以职业、收入和财富衡量。速记：试想教室座位，前排象征上层阶级，后方象征劳工阶级。

Identity – an individual’s sense of self, shaped by both personal agency and social structures. Link to ‘I-dentity’ – your ‘I’ story.

身份认同 – 个体对自我的感知，由个人能动性与社会结构共同塑造。速记：“我是谁”的答案，就是你的身份认同。

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3. Social Stratification: Hierarchy and Life Chances | 社会分层：等级与生活机会

Stratification describes how society is layered like a geological formation. Think of it as a multi-storey building where different floors offer vastly different views and opportunities.

社会分层描述了社会像地质构造一样层层堆叠。把它想象成一栋多层建筑，不同的楼层提供截然不同的视野与机会。

Social stratification – a system that ranks groups of people in a hierarchy of inequality. Visualise ‘strata’ (layers) + ‘fication’ (making) = making layers.

社会分层 – 将人群按不平等体系排序的系统。速记：地层的“层”化，社会出现了高低层级。

Status – the social prestige or honour attached to a particular position. ‘Status’ shares a root with ‘state’ – your standing in the social state.

地位 – 附着于特定位置的社会声望或荣誉。速记：地位就是你在社会中的“站位”。

Power – the ability to impose one’s will on others, even against resistance. Remember Weber’s definition: ‘power is the chance to have your way’.

权力 – 即使遭遇抵抗也能将自身意志强加于他人的能力。速记：韦伯说权力就是“按照自己的方式行事的机会”。

Life chances – the opportunities individuals have to achieve economic success, health and well-being. Think ‘life chances = lottery tickets’ handed out unequally by social position.

生活机会 – 个体获得经济成就、健康和福祉的机会。速记：生活机会就像社会地位发给你的“彩票”，不同阶层拿到的张数不同。

Social mobility – movement of individuals or groups between strata. Picture an escalator (upward mobility) and a water slide (downward mobility).

社会流动 – 个体或群体在不同分层之间的移动。速记：上行如同乘扶梯，下行如同玩滑水道。

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4. Families and Households: Structure and Diversity | 家庭与住户：结构与多样性

Sociology examines how family forms adapt to wider social changes. Use the image of a family tree whose branches grow in many directions.

社会学考察家庭形式如何适应更广泛的社会变迁。用一棵枝丫四处延展的家谱树作为图像来记忆。

Nuclear family – a two-generation unit of parents and their dependent children. ‘Nucleus’ means core; imagine the family as an atom’s nucleus surrounded by relatives as electrons.

核心家庭 – 由父母及其未成年子女组成的两代人单位。速记：“核”心，像原子核一样，是最基本的家庭单位。

Extended family – a multi-generational family network beyond the nuclear unit. ‘Extended’ means stretched – think of a family stretching horizontally and vertically.

扩展家庭/大家庭 – 超越核心家庭的多代际家庭网络。速记：向水平（叔伯姑姨）和垂直（祖辈）两个方向“扩展”。

Symmetrical family – a family form where roles and responsibilities are shared more equally between partners. ‘Symmetry’ implies balanced roles, like two sides of a mirror.

对称家庭 – 伴侣之间角色与责任更为平等分担的家庭形式。速记：对称意味着角色平衡，像镜子左右两边一样。

Lone-parent family – a single adult raising children alone. Remember the rising statistic and the phrase ‘parenting solo’.

单亲家庭 – 由一位成人独自抚养子女的家庭。速记：“单独”一人承担“亲”职。

Beanpole family – a vertical, multi-generational family with few aunts, uncles or cousins. Imagine a tall, thin beanstalk with few side branches.

豆竿家庭 – 纵向多代但叔伯姑姨等旁系亲属稀少的家庭。速记：就像一根高挑细长的豆茎，旁枝很少。

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5. Education: Processes, Inequality and Achievement | 教育：过程、不平等与成就

Educational sociology reveals how schools can both empower and reproduce inequality. Picture a classroom as a miniature society where hidden forces operate.

教育社会学揭示了学校如何既能赋权又能复制不平等。把教室想象成一个运作着无形力量的微型社会。

Hidden curriculum – the informal lessons taught in school, such as obedience, punctuality and competition. What is learned beyond textbooks – the ‘undercover’ curriculum.

隐性课程 – 学校中非正式传授的课程，如服从、守时与竞争。速记：课本之外的“隐藏”课程，如同学校生活的潜台词。

Cultural capital – the knowledge, skills and attitudes valued by the education system, often possessed by the middle class. Think of it as social currency that schools accept as ‘cultural cash’.

文化资本 – 为教育体系所看重的中产阶级通常具备的知识、技能与态度。速记：像一种学校认可的“文化现金”。

Material deprivation – a lack of physical resources such as adequate housing, nutrition or study space that can hinder educational success. ‘Material’ refers to stuff you can touch – if it’s missing, progress is harder.

物质剥夺 – 缺少适足住房、营养或学习空间等物质资源，从而阻碍学业成就。速记：可触及的“物质”匮乏，让学习之路更难走。

Labelling in education – teachers attaching a positive or negative tag to a pupil that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Visualise a sticky label on a student’s forehead shaping their future.

教育中的贴标签 – 教师给学生贴上正面或负面标签，进而变成自我实现的预言。速记：想象额头上被贴了标签，指引着未来的方向。

Self-fulfilling prophecy – a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true. ‘I think I will fail’ → stop trying → fail. The prophecy feeds itself.

自我实现的预言 – 一个预期直接或间接地导致自身成真。速记：“预言”启动了连锁反应，最终实现自身。

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6. Crime and Deviance: Norm Violation and Social Reaction | 犯罪与越轨：规范违反与社会反应

Deviance is not an inherent quality of an act but a label applied by audiences. Think of deviance as a spotlight – what gets lit depends on who holds the torch.

越轨并非行为的内在属性，而是观众贴上的标签。把越轨想象成一束聚光灯——照亮什么取决于谁握着电筒。

Deviance – behaviour that violates social norms and elicits negative reactions. Break it as ‘de-vi-ance’ – going ‘de’ (away from) the ‘via’ (path).

越轨 – 违反社会规范并引发负面反应的行为。速记：“越”就是超越，“轨”就是轨道，偏离社会轨道就是越轨。

Crime – an act that breaks formal written law and is punishable by the state. Crime is deviance with a legal label; think ‘crime = codified wrong’.

犯罪 – 违反正式成文法并受国家惩罚的行为。速记：犯罪是写入法典的“越轨”，是法律明定的错误。

Anomie – a state of normlessness where society fails to regulate individual desires. Pronounce it ‘a-norm-me’ – there are no norms for me.

失范 – 一种社会无法约束个体欲望的规范缺失状态。速记：“失”去“规范”，就是失范。

Labelling theory – the idea that deviance is created by the labels society applies to certain acts. A person becomes a ‘deviant’ because someone in power stamps that label on them.

标签理论 – 越轨是由社会施加于某些行为的标签创造出来的观点。速记：被掌权者盖上了“越轨”的印章，才成为越轨者。

White-collar crime – financially motivated, non-violent crime committed by business and government professionals. The suit is the disguise; think of a crisp white collar hiding dirty numbers.

白领犯罪 – 企业与政府专业人士出于经济动机实施的非暴力犯罪。速记：西装革履的白领之下，藏着见不得光的数字。

Moral panic – an exaggerated societal reaction to a perceived threat, often amplified by the media. Remember the ‘folk devil’ media cycle – a storm in a moral teacup.

道德恐慌 – 对感知到的威胁作出的夸大社会反应，常被媒体放大。速记：媒体掀起的一场“道德茶杯里的风暴”。

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7. Research Methods: Designing Sociological Knowledge | 研究方法：设计社会学知识

Methods are the tools sociologists use to gather evidence. Imagine a researcher’s toolbox: each method is a different tool for a different job.

方法是社会学家收集证据的工具。想象一个研究工具箱：每种方法都是针对不同任务的不同工具。

Validity – the extent to which a research instrument measures what it claims to measure. ‘Valid = true picture’ – does your camera capture the real scene?

效度 – 研究工具测量其所声称测量内容的程度。速记：效度就是“真实度”，相机是否拍出了真实场景？

Reliability – the consistency of research findings; if repeated, would the same results be obtained? A reliable clock gives the same time day after day.

信度 – 研究结果的一致性；若能重复，是否能得到相同结果？速记：信得过的手表，每天都显示相同的时间。

Representativeness – the degree to which a sample mirrors the wider population. ‘Representative sample = mini-me’ of the population.

代表性 – 样本在多大程度上反映了更广泛总体的特征。速记：样本就是总体的“迷你版”。

Sampling – the process of selecting a subset of individuals from a population to participate in a study. Think of taking a spoonful of soup to taste the whole pot.

抽样 – 从总体中选取个体子集参与研究的过程。速记：用勺子舀一口汤，尝整锅的味道。

Qualitative data – non-numerical information about meanings, experiences and feelings, often in the form of words. ‘Quality’ over ‘quantity’ – richly textured descriptions.

质性数据 – 关于意义、经验和感受的非数字信息，常以文字形式呈现。速记：“质”胜于“量”，注重丰厚的描述。

Quantitative data – numerical information that can be counted, measured and statistically analysed. ‘Quantity’ – think numbers, percentages, graphs.

量化数据 – 可计数、测量和统计分析的数值化信息。速记：“量”化，联想到数字、百分比和图表。

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8. Theoretical Perspectives: Lenses on Society | 理论视角：观察社会的透镜

Think of sociological theories as different camera lenses: each brings certain features into sharp focus while blurring others. The key is knowing which lens to choose.

把社会学理论想象成不同的相机镜头：每一个都能让某些特征特别清晰，而让另外一些变得模糊。关键是要知道什么时候选哪个镜头。

Functionalism – sees society as a system of interconnected parts that work together to maintain stability. Visualise a human body: organs (institutions) function to keep the body alive. Key thinkers: Durkheim, Parsons.

功能主义 – 将社会视为由相互连接的部分组成的系统，各部分协同工作以维持稳定。速记：把社会看作人体，器官（制度）发挥功能，保持身体存活。代表：涂尔干、帕森斯。

Marxism – a conflict perspective that sees society divided between a ruling class (bourgeoisie) and a working class (proletariat) locked in economic struggle. Picture a factory: the owner profits from the toil of workers.

马克思主义 – 一种冲突论视角，认为社会分裂为统治阶级（资产阶级）和劳动阶级（无产阶级），并陷入经济斗争。速记：想象一个工厂，厂主靠工人的辛劳获利。代表：马克思。

Interactionism – focuses on small-scale, everyday interactions and how meanings are constructed through symbols. ‘Interaction’ is the root; it studies how people act together, like actors improvising a scene.

互动论 – 专注于小规模、日常的互动，以及意义如何通过符号被建构。速记：从“互动”出发，研究人们如何一起即兴演出社会场景。

Feminism – a conflict perspective that highlights gender inequality, patriarchy and the need for women’s liberation. Remember the ‘f-word’ in sociology stands for fairness across all genders.

女性主义/女权主义 – 突出性别不平等、父权制与妇女解放需要的冲突论视角。速记：社会学中的“女”字打头，强调性别正义。

Postmodernism – argues that society is fragmented, media-saturated and that grand theories cannot explain our fluid, pick-and-mix identities. Think ‘post’ (after) modern certainties have crumbled.

后现代主义 – 主张社会已碎片化、被媒体饱和，宏大理论无法解释我们流动的、拼接式的身份。速记：“后”现代，就是现代确定性崩塌之后的状态。

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9. Power and Politics: State, Ideology and Control | 权力与政治：国家、意识形态与控制

Politics is about the distribution and exercise of power. A simple mnemonic: P-O-W-E-R becomes ‘People Organised With Enforced Rules’.

政治事关权力的分配与行使。一个简单助记：P-O-W-E-R 拆作 “People Organised With Enforced Rules”（由强制规则组织起来的人们）。

The state – a set of institutions that govern a given territory, claiming a monopoly on legitimate force. Picture the state as the ultimate referee with a rulebook and a whistle.

国家 – 治理特定领土并声称垄断合法武力的一系列制度。速记：国家就像拥有规则手册与哨子的终极裁判。

Ideology – a set of ideas, values and beliefs that justify the interests of a particular social group. ‘Ideo-‘ comes from ‘idea’; think of ideology as a ready-made package of ideas that benefits a powerful group.

意识形态 – 一套为特定社会群体利益辩护的思想、价值观与信念。速记：“意识”形态，就是包装好的一套观念，服务特定群体。

Hegemony – leadership or dominance by one social group, achieved not just by force but by securing the consent of others. ‘He-gem-ony’ sounds like ‘he gets many’ to consent.

霸权 – 一个社会群体不仅通过强力，更通过赢得他人同意而实现的领导或支配。速记：霸权的秘密在于让许多人自愿说“好”。

Citizenship – the status of being a full member of a political community, entailing rights and responsibilities. Think T.H. Marshall’s three rights: civil, political, social.

公民身份 – 作为政治共同体正式成员的身份，带有权利与义务。速记：马歇尔的三类权利：民事权、政治权、社会权。

Pluralism – the view that power is widely dispersed among many competing interest groups, preventing any single group from dominating. ‘Plural’ means many – many voices, no single boss.

多元主义 – 认为权力广泛分散于众多竞争的利益集团之间，阻止任何单一团体支配。速记：“多”元，多个声音，没有单一主宰。

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10. Globalisation and Social Change: A Shrinking World | 全球化与社会变迁：缩小的世界

Globalisation connects distant places and intensifies global consciousness. To remember its dimensions, use ‘CUTS’: Cultural, environmental, Technological, economic, Social.

全球化将遥远地区连在一起并强化了全球意识。要记住它的维度，用 “CUTS”：文化、环境、技术、经济、社会。

Globalisation – the increasing interconnectedness of societies so that events in one part of the world have effects on others. Picture a spider’s web trembling from a single touch.

全球化 – 社会间日益加深的相互联系，使得世界某地的事件会影响到其他地区。速记：蜘蛛网，一处触动，整张网都颤抖。

Cultural hybridity – the mixing of elements from different cultures to create new, blended forms. ‘Hybrid’ as in hybrid car – a fusion that creates something novel.

文化混杂 – 不同文化元素混合，创造新的融合形式。速记：混血汽车（hybrid）概念移植到文化上，产出全新品种。

McDonaldisation – the process by which the principles of fast-food restaurants – efficiency, calculability, predictability, control – come to dominate other sectors. Think golden arches spreading rationalisation globally.

麦当劳化 – 快餐店的原则（高效、可计算、可预测、控制）主导其他社会领域的过程。速记：金色拱门将理性化带到全球每个角落。

Risk society – a society preoccupied with future hazards, many of which are manufactured by human progress itself (e.g., climate change). Danger is no longer a natural accident but a by-product of our success.

风险社会 – 一个全神贯注于未来危害的社会，其中不少危害恰是人类进步自我制造的，如气候变化。速记：成功进步的副产品就是人造风险。

Modernity – the historical period characterised by industrialisation, rationality, nation-states and a belief in progress. ‘Modern’ with an ‘-ity’ suffix signals the era of newness.

现代性 – 以

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