Semantics I acknowledgements
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| 4. 3 Ambiguity “A sentence is having more than one meaning, as being ambiguous (Rosenbaum, 1968 : 5). Rosenbaum noted that ambiguity of sentence is not concerning with the proposition. But the ambiguity of word, grammatical structure and sentence. As we have seen that X and Y used in basic statement formulate are proposition. Ambiguity on the other hand, is a property of sentences ; in fact, an ambiguous (declarative) sentence maybe defined as a declarative SEMANTICS Page sentence which expresses more than one proposition. These reflects a difference between levels of linguistic statement ; sentences are syntactic units, whereas propositions are semantic units ; ambiguity is one-many relation between syntax and sense. Thus, we may say that Hugo is drawing a cart is ambiguous, that t expresses more than one proposition Hugo is drawing (a picture of) a cart. - Hugo is drawing (pulling) a cart. If ambiguity is one-many relation between sentence and sense it might be argued that synonymy is the opposite phenomenon, i.e. a one-many relation between sense and sentence. On this basis, I would be right to say that two sentences are synonymous Hugo is drawing a cart. - Hugo is pulling a cart. In that, they express same proposition. But if propositions are the meaning of sentences, then it seems illogical to say that two propositions are synonymous (that two meanings have same meaning). So, we can draw now that ambiguity is a sentence which has more than one proposition. Or Xis ambiguous (Xis a sentence) where X has propositions ab, etc. in this case the truth and falsehood is not applied. Then ambiguity is a property of sentences or propositions, as Leech expressed (1981 :79). SEMANTICS Page Though we cannot make the rule of ambiguity, it is still logical in condition that it should be concerned with the situation where speaker and hearer utter it. Download 332.89 Kb. Share with your friends:
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