Sentential Ambiguity

1. Ambiguity: definition

 a term used to describe an expression that can be interpreted in more than

one way word, a phrase, or a sentence with multiple meanings

2. Two types of ambiguity

 lexical (semantic) ambiguity

 due to ambiguity in the meaning of one or more of the words in the

sentence:
a word or an expression can be interpreted in more than one way
because it has multiple meanings

 This will make you smart.

1. You will become clever.
2. You will get a burning sensation.

 Liz bought a pen.

1. Liz purchased an instrument to write with.
2. Liz purchased an enclosure (to keep her goat).

 He went to buy arms.

1. He went to buy weapons.
2. He went to buy human body parts that extend from the shoulder to
the finger tips.

 lexical ambiguity is created by two types of semantic relations among

words: polysemy and homophony

 polysemy occurs where a word has two or more meanings

same word has multiple meanings:

 bright: (1) shining (2) intelligent

 to glare: (1) shine intensely (2) to stare angrily
 a deposit: (1) minerals in the earth (2) money in the bank

 homophony exists where a single form has two or more entirely

distinct meanings
two distinct words use the same sound string:
 same spelling
 bank
bank1 – a financial institution
bank2 – a small cliff at the edge of a river
 club
club1 – a social organization
club2 – a blunt weapon

 bear
to bear – tolerate
bear – an animal

different spelling
 piece  peace
 write  right
 bear  bare

 structural (syntactic) ambiguity

 due to ambiguity in the syntactic structure of the sentence
the rules of syntax permit different structures for the same linear order
of words

synthetic (buffalo hides) (synthetic buffalo) hides

wealthy men and women wealthy men and women

 prepositional phrases after the verb are often structurally ambiguous
adnominal or adverbial:


I hit the man with the cane.
 adnominal PrepP
I hit the man who was carrying the cane.

 adverbial PrepP
I used the cane to hit the man.

Nicole saw people with binoculars.
 adnominal PrepP
Nicole saw people who were carrying binoculars.

 adverbial PrepP
Nicole used binoculars to see the people.

For sale: an antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.


We will oil your sewing machine and adjust tension in your home for $10.00.