The Branches of Semantics "Ambiguity"

Ambiguity is the presence of two or more possible meanings in a single passage. In speech and writing, there are two basic types of ambiguity : 
(1) lexical ambiguity (the presence of two or more possible meanings within a single word) and,
(2) syntactic ambiguity (the presence of two or more possible meanings within a single sentence or sequence of words).
In addition, ambiguity is sometimes regarded as a fallacy (commonly known as equivocation) in which the same term is used in more than one way. 

Ambiguous words or statements lead to vagueness and confusion, and shape the basis for instances of unintentional humor. For instance, it is ambiguous to say “I rode a black horse in red pajamas,” because it may lead us to think the horse was wearing red pajamas. The sentence becomes clear when it is restructured “Wearing red pajamas, I rode a black horse.” Similarly, same words with different meanings can cause ambiguity e.g. “John took off his trousers by the bank.” It is funny if we confuse one meaning of “bank” which is a building, to another meaning, being “an edge of a river”. Context usually resolves any ambiguity in such cases.

Ambiguity can be found in everyday conversation and in literature. A sentence can become ambiguous just by a single word, or by a misplaced statement. This is why it is so important to match correct phrasing while writing.

           

I. Common Ambiguity Examples

Below are some common examples of ambiguity :

a)    A good life depends on a liver – Liver may be an organ or simply a living person.

b)   Foreigners are hunting dogs – It is unclear whether dogs were being hunted or foreigners are being spoken of as dogs.

c)    Each of us saw her duck – It is not clear whether the word “duck” refers to an action of ducking or a duck that is a bird.

d)   The passerby helps dog bite victim – Is the passerby helping a dog bite someone? Or is he helping a person bitten by a dog? It’s not clear.

II. Examples of Ambiguity in Literature

Although ambiguity is considered a flaw in writing, many writers use this technique to allow readers to understand their works in a variety of ways, giving them depth and complexity. Let us analyze some ambiguity examples in literature.

Example 1

Read the following excerpt from “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger :

“I ran all the way to the main gate, and then I waited a second till I got my breath. I have no wind, if you want to know the truth. I’m quite a heavy smoker, for one thing that is, I used to be. They made me cut it out. Another thing, I grew six and a half inches last year. That’s also how I practically got t.b. and came out here for all these goddam checkups and stuff. I’m pretty healthy though.”

The words “they” and “here” used by the speaker are ambiguous. But the readers are allowed to presume from the context that “they” might be the professionals helping out Holden and “here” might be a rehabilitation center.

Example 2

“The Sick Rose”, a short lyric written by William Blake, is full of ambiguities :

“O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy;
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy”

Many of the words in the above lines show ambiguity. We cannot say for sure what “crimson bed of joy” means; neither can we be exact about the interpretation of “dark secret love”. The ambiguous nature of such phrases allows readers to explore for deeper meanings of the poem.

III. Function of Ambiguity

Ambiguity in literature serves the purpose of lending a deeper meaning to a literary work.
By introducing ambiguity in their works, writers give liberty to the readers to use their imagination to explore meanings. This active participation of the readers involves them in the prose or poetry they read.

IV. Ambiguity in Conversation

The most common form of ambiguity is found in word choice. Most of the words in the English language have more than one definition. There are many nouns and adjectives that may have different meanings depending upon the usage. For example, the word 'break'. As a noun, it could mean an interruption, a piece of good luck, a separation, a pause, or a breaking of a bone. As a verb, it could mean to terminate, separate, move away, or scatter. These are just a few of the definitions. If not used correctly and clearly in the sentence, break could become an ambiguous word choice.

Like 'break', there are many words that can become ambiguous in conversation. Because of this, we hear ambiguity daily with each other, on television, even when reading newspapers or social media.

Here are some other ambiguous sentences :

We saw her duck.

1.      We looked at a duck that belonged to her.

2.      We looked at her quickly squat down to avoid something.

3.      We use a saw to cut her duck.

He fed her cat food.

1.      He fed a woman’s cat some food.

2.      He fed a woman some food that was intended for cats.

3.      He somehow encouraged some cat food to eat something.

Look at the dog with one eye.

1.      Look at the dog using only one of your eyes.

2.      Look at the dog that only has one eye.

References :

http://literarydevices.net/ambiguity/
http://www.yourdictionary.com/ambiguous

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambiguous

http://www.byrdseed.com/ambiguous-sentences/

http://study.com/academy/lesson/ambiguity-in-literature-definition-examples-quiz.html