What is the best definition of ambiguous?
ambiguous • \am-BIG-yuh-wus\ • adjective. 1 a : doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness b : incapable of being explained, interpreted, or accounted for : inexplicable 2 : capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways.
What is structural ambiguity example?
The other type, structural ambiguity, occurs when the meaning of the component words can be combined in more than one way (O’Grady et al. 1997), for example: Nicole saw the people with binoculars. The sentence can be grasped in two ways. The other meaning, the people had binoculars when Nicole saw them.
What is an example of equivocal?
Examples: When I asked Frances how her job was going, she gave me an equivocal response: “Let’s just say I won’t be a sous-chef for much longer.” Did you know? Equivocal, vague, and ambiguous all mean “not clearly understandable” and are used to describe confusing speech or writing.
What’s another word for ambiguous?
Some common synonyms of ambiguous are cryptic, dark, enigmatic, equivocal, obscure, and vague.
What is an ambiguous answer?
open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal: an ambiguous answer. of doubtful or uncertain nature; difficult to comprehend, distinguish, or classify: a rock of ambiguous character.
What is structurally ambiguous?
Structural or syntactic ambiguity is the potential of multiple interpretations for a piece of written or spoken language because of the way words or phrases are organized. Both are examples of linguistic ambiguity, which also results from other things including figurative language and vagueness.
What is structural ambiguity in linguistics?
Syntactic ambiguity, also called structural ambiguity, amphiboly or amphibology, is a situation where a sentence may be interpreted in more than one way due to ambiguous sentence structure.
What are some examples of univocal terms?
Univocal Term: A term that has only one meaning. That is, it signifies only one thought, and therefore corresponds to only one definition. Words mean the same thing even when applied in different contexts, for example, black shoes, black hair, black car.
Which is the best definition of the word ambiguous?
Definition of ambiguous. 2 : capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways an ambiguous smile an ambiguous term a deliberately ambiguous reply.
Which is the best definition of the word forsooth?
Definition of forsooth : in truth : indeed —often used to imply contempt or doubt Synonyms Did you know? Example Sentences Learn More About forsooth
Why is ambiguity considered a problem in philosophy?
In other words, philosophers have often found ambiguity the sort of thing one needs to avoid and eradicate when they do their serious philosophical business. Frege worried about the phenomenon enough to counsel against allowing any multiplicities of sense in a perfect language.
When does syntactic ambiguity occur in a sentence?
Syntactic ambiguity occurs when there are many LFs that correspond to the same sentence. This may be the result of scope, movement or binding, and the level at which the ambiguity is localized can involve full sentences or phrases. Here are some examples of purportedly syntactic ambiguities.