Final answer:
The process where a non-majority group or individual adopts both the dominant culture and maintains their own is known as acculturation, while assimilation refers specifically to adopt the characteristics of the dominant culture at the expense of their original identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process described, where a non-majority group or member masters both the dominant culture and their own, is known as acculturation. However, when the question of adopting the characteristics of the dominant culture alone is raised, this is typically referred to as assimilation.
Assimilation is a form of cultural change where a minority group or an individual gives up its own identity by taking on the characteristics of the dominant culture, often to better integrate and function within that society. Conversely, amalgamation refers to a process where minority and majority groups combine to form a new, unified culture, akin to the 'melting pot' analogy.
It is distinct from cultural appropriation, which involves taking customs from another culture for one's own benefit, and different from cultural accommodation, which allows the minority culture to integrate into the dominant society without losing its identity entirely.