Bill was visiting his girlfriend's parents in Chicago. They offered him some tea, and he accepted their offer because he was thirsty. He was surprised when they brought him a cup of hot tea. In Arkansas, where he is from, the word 'tea' always referred to sweet, iced tea. In Arkansas, if you want hot tea, you have to actually specify by asking for 'hot tea'. Which of the following characteristics of language best describes this situation?

A. Words have a concrete and abstract meaning.

B. Words are culture-bound.

C. Words are context-bound.

D. Words have a connotative and denotative meaning.

The best option in this case is letter B. Words are culture-bound.

Explanation:

As we know, culture can refer to the customs, traditions, and values of a country as whole, but it can also refer to the customs, traditions, and values of states, cities, and even small groups of people. When living immersed in a certain culture, we learn to associate words to specific behaviors or objects that may be referred to differently in another culture. Since there is a diversity of cultures inside the same country, we can notice the difference in the meaning of those words when we travel. That is what happened to Bill. In Arkansas, serving iced tea is customary, already a part of the state's culture. Therefore, the word tea already means iced tea for Bill. To his surprise, however, that is not the case in Chicago. It is not customary to serve iced tea; if Bill wanted iced tea, he should have specified it.