provincialism
UK[prəˈvɪnʃəlɪzəm]US[prəˈvɪnʃəlɪzəm]
n
the attitude or behavior of people who are unwilling to consider new or different ideas or things, often because they are from a small area away from a country's capital or cultural center.
n
a feature of speech, custom, etc., that is typical of people from a particular province or region.
Morpheme Breakdown
provincial
ism
provincial
of a province
ism
doctrine or condition
Etymology
the word provincialism is built upon the latin foundation 'provincia', which originally referred to a territory under roman governance outside of italy. the adjective 'provincialis' described anything pertaining to such a province. in the roman context, provincial life was often viewed from the capital as less sophisticated. the greek-derived suffix '-ism' was later attached to form an abstract noun, concretizing the concept into a state or quality. thus, provincialism logically evolved from its literal meaning of 'pertaining to a province' to signify the perceived narrow-mindedness or parochial characteristics stereotypically associated with non-metropolitan areas.
Analysis
Structure: provincial (of a province) + ism (doctrine or condition)
provincial (from latin 'provincialis', meaning 'belonging to a province', itself from 'provincia' meaning 'province' or 'territory'. functions as an adjective root meaning 'of or like a province'.); ism (from greek '-ismos', a suffix forming nouns of action, state, condition, or doctrine. functions as a noun-forming suffix indicating a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy.)
Examples
his provincialism was evident in his dismissal of foreign films and cuisine.
the novel critiques the petty gossip and social provincialism of small-town life.
linguists study the charming provincialisms found in the local dialect.