Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the term used to describe a situation when a word has two or more possible meanings?
What is the term used to describe a situation when a word has two or more possible meanings?
- Syntactic ambiguity
- Ambiguous structure
- Structural complexity
- Lexical ambiguity (correct)
Which of the following is an example of a sentence with lexical ambiguity?
Which of the following is an example of a sentence with lexical ambiguity?
- She is a talented actress.
- Juan is sitting on a trunk. (correct)
- The sun rises in the east.
- The dog chased the cat.
What distinguishes an active sentence from a passive sentence in terms of linguistic analysis?
What distinguishes an active sentence from a passive sentence in terms of linguistic analysis?
- Number of words
- Number of surface structures (correct)
- Number of clauses
- Number of meanings
Which sentence has one surface structure but two deep structures due to having more than one meaning?
Which sentence has one surface structure but two deep structures due to having more than one meaning?
How can active sentences like 'The pitcher threw the ball in the field' be represented in different surface structures without changing the meaning?
How can active sentences like 'The pitcher threw the ball in the field' be represented in different surface structures without changing the meaning?
What type of ambiguity arises when a word can represent multiple concepts such as financial institution and river bank?
What type of ambiguity arises when a word can represent multiple concepts such as financial institution and river bank?
Study Notes
Ambiguity in Language
- A situation where a word has two or more possible meanings is described as lexical ambiguity.
- The sentence "The bank will give you a loan" is an example of lexical ambiguity, as "bank" can refer to a financial institution or the side of a river.
Active and Passive Sentences
- Active sentences are distinguished from passive sentences in terms of linguistic analysis by the doer of the action being the subject, whereas in passive sentences, the receiver of the action is the subject.
- Active sentences can be represented in different surface structures without changing the meaning, such as "The pitcher threw the ball in the field" and "The ball was thrown in the field by the pitcher".
Deep Structures
- A sentence with one surface structure but two deep structures due to having more than one meaning is an example of structural ambiguity.
- This occurs when a sentence can be interpreted in multiple ways, leading to different meanings.
Types of Ambiguity
- Semantic ambiguity arises when a word can represent multiple concepts, such as "bank" referring to a financial institution or a river bank.
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Description
Test your understanding of lexical ambiguity with sentences containing words with multiple meanings. Identify the various interpretations of words like 'trunk', 'bank', and 'bat'. Explore how this form of ambiguity can lead to confusion in language comprehension.
