Generality and ambiguity

1
Generality and ambiguity

• Generality one word covering a number of senses
  all related to the same lexical unit.
• Ambiguity one word covering a number of distinct
  senses related to different lexical units.

2
Generality and ambiguity

• Example of a general word-Sue is visiting her
  cousin
• This sentence functions as satisfactory
  communication without any context.
• Neither sender nor receiver need to know whether
  the reference of the word cousin is male or
  female.

3
Generality and ambiguity

• Example of an ambiguous word-We finally reached
  the bank
• This sentence does not function as satisfactory
  communication without a context.
• Sender and receiver do need to know which of the
  distinct senses of the word is the reference in
  this particular sentence.

4
Generality and ambiguity

• A general word will be entered in a dictionary
  only once.
• An ambiguous word will cover a number of entries
  corresponding to the number of its distinct
  senses.

5
Generality and ambiguity

• Danish examples
• Generality Jeg fik bogen af min lærer
• Ambiguity Hun slog panden mod bordet

6
Ambiguity

• Two kinds of ambiguity
• Non-lexical ambiguity
• Lexical ambiguity

7
Ambiguity

• Divided into four groups
• 1. Pure syntactic ambiguity
• Ex. Old men and women ((old men) and women/
  old(men and women))
• Ambiguities of scope
• Ex. I dont like him (I dislike him/Its not true
  that I like him)

8
Ambiguity

• 2. Quasi-syntactic ambiguity
• Ex. A red pencil( a pencil painted red/a pencil
  which writes red)
• 3. Lexico-syntactic ambiguity
• Ex. I saw her duck(animal/movement)
• 4. Pure lexical ambiguity
• Ex. What is his position? (Placement/point of
  view)

9
Sense

• Sense is the meaning aspect of a lexical unit
• Senses need to represent unitary quantas of
  meaning, but do not need to be finite in numbers
• Oxford Dictionary
• A way in which an expression can be interpreted
  a meaning

10
Sense-spectrum

• A sense-spectrum is a continuum of senses
  connected with the same lexical form.
• The senses lie along the continuum with no clear
  boundaries between them

11
Sense-spectrum

• Example
• John keeps opening and shutting his mouth like a
  fish.
• This parasite attaches itself to the mouths of
  fishes, sea-squirts, etc.
• The mouth of the sea-squirt resembles that of a
  bottle.
• The mouth of the cave resembles that of a bottle.
• The mouth of the enormous cave was also that of
  the underground river.

12
Sense-spectrum

• ? The poisoned chocolate entered the Contessas
  mouth at the same instant that the yacht entered
  that of the river

13
Modulation

• A single sense can be modified
• Emphasis or suppression of semantic traits
• Promotion demotion
• Highlighting backgrounding

• Example
• A nurse attended us
• A pregnant nurse attended us

14
Contextual sense selection

• The activation by different contexts of different
  senses associated with ambiguous word forms

Example Several rare ferns grow on the steep
banks of the burn where it runs into the lake.
15
Lexical form

• A set of word forms differing only in respect of
  inflections

16
Lexical unit

• Word form associated with a single sense
• Primary lexical units
• Secondary lexical units
• The union of a lexical form and a single sense

17
Lexical unit
inflectional affix derivational affix do not
produce new lexical units produces new lexical
units ex. book gt books, ex. true gt
untrue, obey gt obeyed, etc. kind gt kindness,
etc. lexical form single sense (lexeme)
LEXICAL UNIT
18
Lexeme

• A family of lexical units
• The items listed in the dictionary

19
Lexeme

• Mouth (pl. mouths)

Lexical form

• The opening through which humans and animals take
  in food dont talk with your mouth full
• A place where something opens the mouth of a
  cave
• A place where a river enters the sea sailing
  into the mouth of the Thames

Lexical units
20
Inflection

• Inflection
• Adds some funtional information to the element to
  which it is added.
• Does not drastically change the meaning of words.
• Examples the plural-s, the past tense ed

21
Derivation

• Derivation
• Changes the category or at least the meaning of
  the element to which it is added.
• Examples to run/a runner
• -un/ -in/ -im added to make a word negative, e.g.
  unhappy
• Source Introducing English Grammar, p. 18

22
The meaning of butter

• The sentence
• Arthur poured the butter into a dish
• illustrates an aspect of modulation called
  LINKAGE

23
Linkage

• The combination of pour and butter necessitates
  the semantic trait liquid and thus hot
• Liquid and hot were before only possible semantic
  traits
• For butter to be poured, it most logically be
  liquid

24
Linkage - continued

• For butter to be liquid, it most logically be hot
  (otherwise it would harden and could not be
  poured)
• In Arthur poured the milk into a dish hot is
  only a possible semantic trait, not a necessary
  one