Ambiguity

AMBIGUITY

( Sencse Relations On The Sentence Meaning )

Arranged by:

Name: MUHAMMAD FARUQ BUKHORI

Student Number: 13020117140087

E-mail: mfaruq.bukhori@gmail.com

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

S1 Sastra Inggris

Faculty of Humanity

Diponegoro University

SEMARANG

2019

INTRODUCTION

Ambiguity is an important component in language often in that language there are many meanings that are owned. In this report, my goal is to make the semantic semester midpoint for my semester this semester. In this report I will explain what ambiguity is, how the application of ambiguity to language and why important ambiguity in language.

DISCUSSION

1. What is Ambiguity

Ambiguity is the form of idea in which different interpretations are plausible. The general characteristic of expression is uncertaint. It is therefore the abstraction of any thought or message whose intended meaning cannot be definitively solved according to the law of action with a limited number of ways. The lexical expression of language of phrase pertains to its giving more than one idea in the words to which the speech belong.

Example: “ I purchased herbs from this apothecary”.

This would mean one really talked to the apothecary (pharmacist) or go to the apothecary (medicine)

Lexical ambiguity are everywhere. In fact, almost any word has more than one meaning. 

Example: “back”.

This would mean ‘the rear surface of the human body from the shoulders to the hips’ or ‘toward the rear; in the opposite direction from the one that one is facing or traveling’.

One other example that if misinterpreted it will mean different things.

Example: “It’s mine !”.

This would mean he warned that there was a bomb or his possession.

See the following table below, words in English and their meanings in Indonesian.

WELL = Baik	WELL = Sumur
SECOND = Detik	SECOND = Kedua
BOLT = Baut	BOLT = Gemuruh Petir
BAT = Pemukul	BAT = Kelelawar
JAM = Selai	JAM = Macet
WATCH = Melihat	WATCH = Jam Tangan
BARK = Menggongong	BARK = Kulit Pohon
CAN = Bisa	CAN = Kontainer

Besides having many words of wisdom, in english there are also many words that are the same but have different meanings. While this same pronoun means the same but it will not be the same. From the discussion above also to avoid ambiguity, we first know the class of words including noun, adjective, adverb, and verb.

2. Types of Ambiguity

Ambiguity has two types including lexical ambiguity and structural ambiguity.

a. Lexical ambiguity is related with binary interpretations of lexeme. The language is unlclear if it involves two lexical items that take same form but have different meaning.

b. Structural ambiguity is the result of two or more distinct syntactic structure that can be ascribed to one sequence of word. This mean this the term is structurally ambiguous not because it contains a single lexeme that has some meaning, but because the syntactic structure of this sentence induced multiple interpretations.

3. The Reason Why That Ambiguity Arises

What if there is ambiguity in a conversation? and here I will give an example of his conversation and explanation.

1. Look at the conversation between Ori and Gita.

Ori; Gita, have you watched the end game yet?

Gita: Not yet darling, what if we go out tonight?

Ori: Sounds great to me. Okey I will give you a ring, then.

In the conversation above there is the word “ring”. The meaning of “ring” can be regarded as multripretation because it has more than one meaning: Would you give me a ring, it can be interpreted as Give a call before Ori’s pick her up; or it can be meant give her a ring to be put on her finger to sign of love.

2. Loot at the conversation between officer and Ori in Parking lot

Officer: Mas, you parked at the wrong place !

Ori: I saw the sign on it written, “Fine for parking here!”. I’m really sure to park by that sign! It means ”It’s OK to park by that sign!”

The misunderstanding about the sign that contains the word “fine” that says:” Fine for Parking here!”. Ori thinks that the word “fine” is ”OK” for parking in that area, but the officer doesn’t think in the same way.

4. How Disambiguate The Ambiguous Word

One way to avoid ambiguity in conversations and the provision of information is with further information in the form of images as complementary then use additional context.

The example is using picture as in the example below for the word bank which can be :

a) Picture on financial Institution (BANK)

b) Picture of a river bank

In the picture above it can be found the meaning if given an explanation in the form of an image that can be interpreted directly, if not using images it could be someone who understands it would think that "river bank" is a bank called river.

b) Picture of arab date

b) Picture of couple date

In the picture above it can be found the meaning if given an explanation in the form of an image that can be interpreted directly, if not using images it could be someone who understands it would think that "arab date" is a dating like arab culture of dating in arab, which is funny if it people misunderstanding about it.

5. where is the structural ambiguity is in a conversation

In the type of ambiguity there are five types described in this paper.

Type 1: Verb phrase + noun phrase + prepositional phrase

            The man yell the stranger with a trumpet.

The sentence may mean ‘the man yell the stranger’ or ’the stranger with the trumpet get yell by the man’.

In the sentence there is no clue to which noun the PP modifies. In other words, ‘with a trumpet’ can modify the man or the stranger. This type of structural ambiguity results from the lack of information in the construction.

Type 2: Gerund + verb phrase

            Climbing mounting can be exhausting.

The structure of this one is only easily understood by direct conversation because of the intonation. ‘Climbing maountain’. Can be compound noun and noun phrase.

Type 3: Verb phrase + noun phrase + more…than + noun phrase

            Ori loves the crab more than Gita.

This third type of ambiguity concerns comparative degree. It is ambiguous because the shortened version may function as the subject of the shortened clause or as the object of the verb ‘love’ which is in comparative relation with ‘the crab’. The rule is if the comparative clause is identical to the main clause except for a contrasted phrase, optionally remove everything from the comparative clause except for this contrasted phrase (Baker 1989:347).

Type 4: Verb phrase + noun phrase + prepositional phrase + prepositional phrase

            Put the data on the computer in the office.

The sentence above is not clear because he first modifier ‘on the computer’ It is unclear whether ‘on the computer’ modifies 'the data' or ‘in the office’. If modified 'the data', that means the data is on the the computer and must be placed in the office and when people read it and sometimes listen to it will also be confused with the data in question whether it is hardware or software.

Type 5: Noun phrase + adjective clause

            The tourist thanked the people, who had given his flower.

This fifth type of ambiguity in sentence can be written in two versions with absolutely different meaning:

a. The tourist thanked the people who had given his some flowers.

b. The tourist thanked the people, who had given his some flowers.

CONCLUSION

Often the message delivered by the speaker has a different meaning than what we catch, that's ambiguity. Language is present because of ambiguity the meaning of each word can also be interpreted differently according to the situation at that time as English learners, it is very necessary to avoid ambiguous sentences and are required to use a formal structure to avoid misunderstanding.

REFERENCE

1. Masda Surti Simatupang. 2007. HOW AMBIGUOUS IS THE STRUCTURAL AMBIGUITY. Jurnal LINGUA CULTURA.