Bill was visiting his partner's parents in London. 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. Which of the following characteristics of language best describes this situation?

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Bill was visiting his partner's parents in London. 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. 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.

Answer:

The best option is B. Words are culture-bound.

Explanation:

As we know, culture refers to the customs, traditions, and values of countries, states, cities, and even smaller groups of people. We learn to associate words to specific objects or even behaviors while living immersed in a certain culture. However, those same words be may be associated to different objects and behaviors when we find ourselves among different cultural groups. That is precisely what happened to Bill. In Arkansas, serving iced tea is customary, already a part of the state's culture. For that reason, the word tea already means iced tea for Bill. To his surprise, however, that is not the case in London, where tea means hot tea. Since it is not customary to serve iced tea where he is now, if Bill wanted it, he should have specified it.