THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF AMBIGUITY PHONOLOGICAL LEXICAL

THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF AMBIGUITY: PHONOLOGICAL LEXICAL GRAMMATICAL

is the process of determining which sense of a word is being used in a particular context.

1. PHONOLOGICAL AMBIGUITY OUT OF CONTEXT, SPOKEN EXPRESSIONS LIKE THE FOLLOWING, MAY SOUND AMBIGUOUS: A NAME / AN AIM ICE – CREAM / I SCREAM NITRATE / NIGHT RATE

HOW STAINED? / HOUSE TRAINED THAT STUFF / THAT’S TOUGH WHITE SHOES / WHY CHOOSE TO A DOOR / TO ADORE

OTHER EXAMPLES: FRIDAY / FRY DAY WEEKEND / WEAK END I DON’T KNOW / I DON’T – NO!

HOW CAN PHONOLOGICAL AMBIGUITY BE DISAMBIGUATED?

BY USING JUNCTURE

2. LEXICAL AMBIGUTY IN MANY CASES, AMBIGUITY IS CAUSED BY THE USE OF WORDS WHICH ARE: (A)FULLY HOMONYMOUS, I. E. , WORDS WHICH ARE IDENTICAL IN SPELLING AND IN PRONUNCIATION BUT DIFFERENT IN MEANING

LIFE DEPENDS ON THE LIVER. • SOMEONE WHO LIVES • AN ORGAN IN THE BODY I LIKE THAT TABLE. • • A PIECE OF FURNITURE A SET OF DATA ARRANGED IN ROWS AND COLUMNS

JOHN IS DRAWING A CART. * PULLING / DRAGGING * PRODUCING A PICTURE OR DIAGRAM HE LIVES NEAR THE BANK. *SIDE OF THE RIVER *A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN KEEP THEIR MONEY

THESE BOYS CAN FISH. *HAVING THE ABILITY TO FISH * PUTTING FISH IN METAL CONTAINERS LOOK AT THE SPRING. * A COILED PIECE OF METAL * A SOURCE OF WATER * SEASON OF THE YEAR *A SUDDEN JUMP UPWARDS OR FORWARDS

THE CRANES ARE HERE. * a large, tall machine used for moving heavy objects * a tall, long-legged, long-necked bird ASK FOR ME TOMORROW AND YOU SHALL FIND ME A GRAVE MAN. * a hole dug in the ground to receive a coffin or dead body * serious

(B)PARTLY HOMONYMOUS WORDS WHICH ARE IDENTICAL EITHER IN SPELLING (HOMOGRAPHS)OR IN PRONUNCIATION (HOMOPHONES) BUT DIFFERENT IN MEANING

*A MENDER OF BAD SOLES / SOULS * HIS BOOKS WERE RED / READ * I AM TOO SORE (SENSITIVE / ANGRY) / SOAR (REALLY SMART)

(C) POLYSEMIC WORDS : HE MAY LEAVE. * It is possible but not certain that he will leave. * He has a permission to leave.

IN CERTAIN CASES, THE AMBIGUITY OF AN UTTERANCE IS THE RESULT OF THE AMBIGUITY OF MORE THAN ONE WORD

THE SUN’S RAYS MEET. ALL THE WORDS EXCEPT THE ARTICLE WILL SOUND AMBIGUOUS IF TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT. IT MIGHT BE UNDERSTOOD AS: THE SON’S RAISE MEAT.

3. GRAMMATICAL AMBIGUITY Ambiguities may arise out of grammatical devices when syntactic structures can be interpreted in more than one way

He killed the woman with a pistol. *(the woman was killed by a pistol) *(the woman was carrying a pistol) Last night I danced with the stout major’s wife *(the major is stout ) *( his wife is stout)

We dislike fat men and women. *(both men and women are fat) *(only men are fat not women) John or Paul and Philip. * (John or Paul) and Philip * John or (Paul and Philip)

The lamb is too hot to eat. * (The cooked lamb is too hot for someone to eat) (flesh of that animal eaten as food) * (The lamb is so hot that it cannot eat anything)(living young sheep)

Flying planes can be dangerous. * ( the act of flying planes) * ( planes which are flying) Biting dogs can kill you. * (if you bite dogs, it can kill you) * ( dogs which bite can kill you) John and Mary are married. * ( to each other) * ( to different people)