Exercise General definition of ambiguity: Difference between revisions
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- a polysemous word | - a polysemous word | ||
|| Polysemous means that a sound sequence has two or more different, but '''semantically related''' meanings. <br/> | || Polysemous means that a sound sequence has two or more different, but '''semantically related''' meanings. <br/> | ||
|| e.g., the word '''man''' is polysemous: | || e.g., the word '''man''' is polysemous: a human being (vs. animal), a male human being (vs. female), an adult male human being (vs. boy) | ||
|| See the Glossary entry on [[Glossary:Polysemy|Polysemy]] for more information. <br/> | || See the Glossary entry on [[Glossary:Polysemy|Polysemy]] for more information. <br/> | ||
+ a homophone word | + a homophone word | ||
|| A homophone is a form that has two or more distinct meanings, but is pronounced in the same way. <br/> | || A homophone is a form that has two or more distinct meanings, but is pronounced in the same way. <br/> | ||
|| e.g., the word '''bank''' is ambigous: a financial institute, the side of a river | || e.g., the word '''bank''' is ambigous: a financial institute, the side of a river | ||
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|| Scope ambiguity deals with the scope of quantifiers (''every'', ''some'' ...) and leads to structurally distinct logical forms. | || Scope ambiguity deals with the scope of quantifiers (''every'', ''some'' ...) and leads to structurally distinct logical forms. | ||
|| e.g.''Everyone loves someone.' The sentence can be read in the two following ways. <br/> | || e.g.''Everyone loves someone.' The sentence can be read in the two following ways. <br/> | ||
|| Reading 1: ''Everyone loves the same someone.'' | || Reading 1: ''Everyone loves the same someone.''; Reading 2: ''Everyone loves some different person.'' | ||
|| See the Glossary entry on [[Glossary:Scope Ambiguity| Scope Ambiguity]] for more information. <br/> | || See the Glossary entry on [[Glossary:Scope Ambiguity| Scope Ambiguity]] for more information. <br/> | ||
+ lexical ambiguity | + lexical ambiguity | ||
|| This correct. Lexical ambiguity means that the ambiguity arises on the level of the lexeme (word). | || This correct. Lexical ambiguity means that the ambiguity arises on the level of the lexeme (word). | ||
|| e.g. ''I was right next to the '''bank''' when I fainted, otherwise I might not have survived.'' | || e.g. ''I was right next to the '''bank''' when I fainted, otherwise I might not have survived.'' | ||
|| | || The speaker might have fainted on the water next to the bank of a river, so he did not drown. | ||
|| | || The speaker fainted next to a financial institute, so enough people were there who could help him. | ||
|| See the Glossary entry on [[Glossary:Lexical_Ambiguity|Lexical Ambiguity]] for more information. <br/> | || See the Glossary entry on [[Glossary:Lexical_Ambiguity|Lexical Ambiguity]] for more information. <br/> | ||
- structural ambiguity | - structural ambiguity | ||
|| Structural ambiguity deals with ambiguity on the level of syntax. | || Structural ambiguity deals with ambiguity on the level of syntax. | ||
|| e.g. | || e.g. ''old women and men'': It is unclear to which noun (women and/or men) the adjective old refers, | ||
|| so the sentence could be read in the two following ways: (i) Both women and men are old. (ii) only the women are said to be old. | |||
|| See the Glossary entry on [[Glossary:Structural Ambiguity| Structural Ambiguity]] for more information. <br/> | || See the Glossary entry on [[Glossary:Structural Ambiguity| Structural Ambiguity]] for more information. <br/> | ||
Revision as of 00:27, 15 November 2013
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
General definition of ambiguity