Glossary:Scope Ambiguity

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The following material is an adapted form of material created by student participants of the project e-Learning Resources for Semantics (e-LRS).
Involved participants: Nicki, Marc M, Leo, Anna Böcher, Lorena

Scope Ambiguity

/skəʊp æmbigjʊɘti/

Definition

Scope ambiguities arise when the scope (scope: an area over which activity, capacity, or influence extends) of a part - or parts - of a sentence is unclear. Quantifiers (words like every), negations and adverbial or adjectival modifiers often give rise to scope ambiguites.

A sentence with a scope ambiguity need not be structurally ambiguous.

Examples

1. Every man loves a woman.

Reading 1: For every man there is some woman that he loves
Reading 2: Every man loves the same woman
-> The different meanings are determined by which quantifier is given the widest scope. By giving 'every' the widest scope, reading 1 arises; by giving 'a' the widest scope, reading 2 arises.

2. All that glitters is not gold.

Reading 1: Everything that glitters is not made of gold; Conclusion: This rock glitters so it cannot be gold
Reading 2: Not everything that glitters is gold; Conclusion: This rock glitters so it might be gold but it does not have to be.
-> The different meanings are determined by the scope of the word not. By giving it a narrow scope ('not' only applies to ' gold'), reading 1 arises; by giving it a broad scope ('not' applies to 'All that glitters is gold'), reading 2 arises.

Related terms

• Lexical Ambiguity
• Ambiguity
• Structural Ambiguity

References

• Bieswanger, Markus/Becker, Annette (2008): Introduction to English Linguistics. 2te aktual. Aufl. A Francke Verlag, Tübingen und Basel., p. 155/156.
• Ambiguity in Utrecht University, Lexicon of Linguistics
• Thesaurus entry on 'scope'
• http://www.coli.uni-saarland.de/projects/milca/courses/comsem/html/node92.html
• http://www.fallacyfiles.org/scopefal.html