Exercise General definition of ambiguity: Difference between revisions

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'''General definition of ambiguity'''
{{CreatedByStudents1213}}<br /> ''Involved participants: [[User:Nicki| Nicki]], [[User:Marc_M| Marc M]], [[User:Leo| Leo]], [[User:Anna_Böcher| Anna Böcher]], [[User:Lorena| Lorena]]
 
==General definition of ambiguity==
<quiz display=simple>
<quiz display=simple>
   
   
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- a word with only one meaning
- a word with only one meaning
|| Sorry, the answer is not correct.
|| A word with just one meaning is '''un'''ambiguous. <br/>
|| A word with just one meaning is '''un'''ambiguous. <br/>
|| See also the glossary entry on [[Glossary:Ambiguity#Ambiguity|Ambiguity]] for more information.<br/>
|| See also the glossary entry on [[Glossary:Ambiguity#Ambiguity|Ambiguity]] for more information.<br/>
- a polysemous word
- a polysemous word
|| Sorry, but your answer is not entirely correct.
|| 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. <br/>
|| 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)
|| '''Man'''
|| *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
|| Very good, that is correct.
|| 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. <br/>
|| e.g., the word '''bank''' is ambigous: a financial institute, the side of a river
|| '''bank''' <br/>
|| *financial institute
|| *a device to sit on
|| *the side of a river
|| See the Glossary entry on [[Glossary:Homophony| Homophony]] for more information. <br/>
|| See the Glossary entry on [[Glossary:Homophony| Homophony]] for more information. <br/>


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- scope ambiguity
- scope ambiguity
|| Sorry, the answer is not correct.
|| 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 is a form of structural ambiguity. <br/>
|| e.g.''Everyone loves someone.' The sentence can be read in the two following ways. <br/>
|| e.g.
|| Reading 1: ''Everyone loves the same someone.''; Reading 2: ''Everyone loves some different person.''
|| "Everyone loves someone." <br/>
|| The sentence can be read in the two following ways. <br/>
|| *Everyone loves the same someone.
|| *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
|| Very good, that is correct. <br/>
|| This correct. Lexical ambiguity means that the ambiguity arises on the level of the lexeme (word).
|| 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.
|| The speaker might have fainted on the water next to the bank of a river, so he did not drown.
|| "I was right next to the '''bank''' when I fainted, otherwise I might not have survived."
|| The speaker fainted next to a financial institute, so enough people were there who could help him.
|| *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
|| Sorry, the answer is not correct.
|| 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,  
|| "Old women and men." <br/>
|| 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.
|| 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:
|| *Both women and men are old.
|| *Old only refers to the women. Men are not specified"
|| 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/>


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{ Which word is the ambiguous word in the sentence?
{ Which word is the ambiguous word in the sentence?
|type="{}" }
|type="{}" }
#I bought it without any further inquiry: { bought (i) }
a) I bought it without any further inquiry: { bought (i) }
|| '''Bought''' can be read in at least the two following ways: <br/>
|| '''Bought''' can be read in at least the two following ways: <br/>
|| *Bought as "purchased": I purchased it without any further inquiry
|| *Bought as "purchased": I purchased it without any further inquiry
|| *Bought as "believed": I believed it without any further inquiry.
|| *Bought as "believed": I believed it without any further inquiry.
#There is no bank in this town: { bank (i) }
b) There is no bank in this town: { bank (i) }
|| '''Bank''' can be understood in two different ways:
|| '''Bank''' can be understood in two different ways:
|| *Bank as something to sit on: "There is not a bank to sit on in this town."
|| *Bank as something to sit on: "There is not a bank to sit on in this town."
|| *Bank as financial institution: "There is no financial institution in this town."
|| *Bank as financial institution: "There is no financial institution in this town."


{ Think of three sentences in which the word “hot” has different meanings.
</quiz>
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+ Done
'''4.''' Think of three sentences in which the word “hot” has different meanings.
|| The Oxford dictionary proposes the following six different solutions (according to the dictionary you used other solutions might be possible:
 
||* This girl is really hot. -> hot = good looking
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:800px">
||* This pepper is really hot. -> hot = extremely spicy
Check your solution here
||* This soup is really hot. -> hot = warm
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
||* That was a really hot debate -> hot = involving much activity  
The Oxford dictionary proposes the following six different solutions (according to the dictionary you used other solutions might be possible:
||* Marc is very hot on Hifi. -> hot = very knowledgable, interested in
* This girl is really hot. -> hot = good looking
||* The whole situation was too hot to be handled by us alone -> hot = difficult to deal with
* This pepper is really hot. -> hot = extremely spicy
||If you want to check if a word has different meanings you can consult a dictionary. A good address is http://oxforddictionaries.com <br/>
* This soup is really hot. -> hot = warm
* That was a really hot debate -> hot = involving much activity  
* Marc is very hot on Hifi. -> hot = very knowledgable, interested in
* The whole situation was too hot to be handled by us alone -> hot = difficult to deal with
If you want to check if a word has different meanings you can consult a dictionary. A good address is http://oxforddictionaries.com <br/>
</div>
</div>
 
<br/>
<br/>
 
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</quiz>
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Latest revision as of 20:28, 6 January 2014

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

1 What is an ambiguous word?

a word with only one meaning
a polysemous word
a homophone word

2 What is the technical term for words that have more than one meaning?

scope ambiguity
lexical ambiguity
structural ambiguity

3 Which word is the ambiguous word in the sentence?

a) I bought it without any further inquiry:

b) There is no bank in this town:


4. Think of three sentences in which the word “hot” has different meanings.

Check your solution here

The Oxford dictionary proposes the following six different solutions (according to the dictionary you used other solutions might be possible:

  • This girl is really hot. -> hot = good looking
  • This pepper is really hot. -> hot = extremely spicy
  • This soup is really hot. -> hot = warm
  • That was a really hot debate -> hot = involving much activity
  • Marc is very hot on Hifi. -> hot = very knowledgable, interested in
  • The whole situation was too hot to be handled by us alone -> hot = difficult to deal with

If you want to check if a word has different meanings you can consult a dictionary. A good address is http://oxforddictionaries.com



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