Posted on August 30, 2017
What does ambiguity mean? An ambiguous word or phrase is unclear and confusing, having more than one meaning. Ambiguity in literature is often used as a technique to create a humorous effect. Have a look at a sentence, ‘Sue rode a horse in a pink dress’. This sentence is ambiguous, as the horse may be wearing a pink dress as well as Sue.
Ambiguity in English literature is a common technique, as many words have different spelling, but similar pronunciation. There are also tons of words with several meanings (polysemous words). Writers use ambiguous language to play with words and the reader’s perception and imagination.
The use of ambiguity in literature can be performed in three most common ways: semantic, syntactic and narrative. Semantic ambiguity presupposes the play with polysemous words. When the context fails to explain the word, we can create polysemous ambiguity. Syntactic ambiguity deals with the structure of a sentence. For example, ‘The chicken is ready to eat’. Do we mean a dish, a roasted chicken? Or is a chicken going to eat its meal? Finally, narrative ambiguity makes the plotline ambiguous. For example, in ambiguous plotline it is difficult to determine the relationships between the characters, whether they are in love or hate each other.
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As many ambiguity examples show, it is sometimes difficult to grasp what a writer implies. Ambiguity can lead to misunderstanding and confusion. However, we should not forget that this technique also makes a reader think. This is the way a writer communicates with a reader, or even tricks them. Ambiguity makes a work more realistic. In every day life we come across situations that can be interpreted differently. We live in ambiguous world full of unclear and confusing events. That is why when a reader enjoys another ambiguity in literature example, they like to think and interpret a work, a situation or a character in more than one way.
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