The phenomenon of an expression (a word, a phrase, ...) having more than one meaning. Ambiguity can be lexical or structural.
Ambiguity is the phenomenon of an expression (a word, a phrase, ...) having more than one meaning. Ambiguity is a subject of semantics, i.e. the study of meaning, and partially of syntax, i.e. the study of structure.
Ambiguity can be
- lexical:
- the word bank can mean a financial institution or a river bank
- the word parliament can refer to the institution or the building
- structual :
- It is not red and big can mean It is [not red] and [big] or It is not [red and big]
- I saw the man with the telescope can mean I saw the man who had a telescope or I saw the man by looking through my telescope
- Every child sings a song can mean For every child it holds that it sang a song (but not necessarily the same song for everyone) or There is a song which every child sang (and this is one and the same song)
