AMBIGUITY AMBIGUUS UNCERTAIN Ambiguity A word a phrase

AMBIGUITY AMBIGUUS – UNCERTAIN

Ambiguity • A word, a phrase, a clause or sentence is ambiguous if it can reasonably be interpreted in more than one way.

. • Unintentional ambiguity occurs when a speaker or a writer is not aware that what he said or wrote is ambiguous. This type is serious because it is obviously an obstacle to clear communication and care should be taken to avoid it.

TYPES OF AMBIGUITY • Lexical ambiguity • Categorical ambiguity • Conceptual ambiguity • Structural ambiguity

LEXICAL AMBIGUITY • This is when a lexical item or a word has more than one meaning. The word bank can refer to a financial institution or to the edge of a river. Similarly, the word pen may refer also to an instrument for writing or to a cage for animals.

CATEGORICAL AMBIGUITY • This occurs when a word is used to function differently in different contexts. This is also known as functional shift. • An example is the word round

Examples 1. Go round the house (adverb) 2. I saw a round table (adjective) 3. The last round was exciting (noun) 4. Kofi round off the total amount (verb) 5. I look round the room quick to make sure it is neat. (preposition)

CONCEPTUAL AMBIGUITY • This happens when a word is used to refer to different concepts.

Examples 1. I charged the battery this morning (electrical) 2. The armed robber was charged with impunity (legal) 3. She was charged with students’ registration. (responsibility)

STRUCTURAL AMBIGUITY • This refers to ambiguity as a result of putting words together as structures. Structural ambiguity is simply ambiguity in syntax. There are different sources of structural ambiguity :

A. WRONG OR CARELESS ORDERING OF WORDS 1. The minister decided to appoint a panel of independent doctors to examine his deputy on August 31. The date August 31 refers to the time of some action or event. Upon reading the example, one finds that there are 3 possible ways of relating August 31 to the sentence.

a. It may denote the time of the minister deciding b. It may denote the time of appointing c. It may denote the time of examining

B. UNCLEAR MODIFICATIONS The Vice – Chancellor has refused to enter dirty students’ halls. The adjective dirty serves a modifier. Its modification is uncertain whether it refers to the students or halls. 2.

A Benz saloon car is being sold by a lecturer with ash colour. Is the prepositional phrase with ash colour modifying the car or the lecturer. 3.

4. Flying planes can be dangerous. 5. Visiting friends can be boring.

C. A NEGATIVE STATEMENT FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY A CLAUSE OF REASON 6. I didn’t give Ode the money (negative statement) because she is a student (reason clause). This could mean;

a. I gave Ode the money (but not for the reason stated) b. I did not give Ode the money (for the reason stated)

E. WRONG PLACEMENT OF FREQUENCY ADVERBS. • Frequency adverbs are placed before the main verbs, otherwise the sentences in which they occur are rendered ambiguous. Frequency adverbs include frequently, usually, always and normally.

7. Josephine doesn’t eat breakfast normally. Do we mean to say that Josephine doesn’t eat breakfast often, or when she is eating breakfast, she does it in an abnormal way? 8. Josephine does not normally eat breakfast.