ðə mˈuːvmənt hæd ɪts ɹˈuːts ɪnðə wˈɜːks ʌvðə dʒˈɜːmən fɪlˈɑːsəfɚ jˈoʊhɑːn ɡˈɑːtfɹid hˈɜːdɚ, hˌuː fˈoʊkəst pɹaɪmˈɛɹᵻli ˌɔn ˈɛmfɐsˌaɪzɪŋ ðə dˈɪfɹənsᵻz ɐmˌʌŋ pˈiːpəl ænd ɹˈiːdʒənəl kˈʌltʃɚz.
The movement had its roots in the works of the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder, who focused primarily on emphasising the differences among people and regional cultures.