Generative syntax

Semantic ambiguity

In linguistics, an expression is semantically ambiguous when it can have multiple meanings. The higher the amount of synonyms a word has, the higher the degree of ambiguity. Like other kinds of ambiguity, semantic ambiguities are often clarified by context or by prosody. One's comprehension of a sentence in which a semantically ambiguous word is used is strongly influenced by the general structure of the sentence. The language itself is sometimes a contributing factor in the overall effect of semantic ambiguity, in the sense that the level of ambiguity in the context can change depending on whether or not a language boundary is crossed. Lexical ambiguity is a subtype of semantic ambiguity where a word or morpheme is ambiguous. When a lexical ambiguity results from a single word having two senses, it is called polysemy. For instance, the English "foot" is polysemous since in general it refers to the base of an object, but can refer more specifically to the foot of a person or the foot of a pot. When an ambiguity instead results from two separate words which happen to be pronounced the same way, it is called homonymy. For instance, the English word "row" can denote the action of rowing or to an arrangement of objects. In practice, polysemy and homonymy can be difficult to distinguish. Phrases and sentences can also be semantically ambiguous, particularly when there are multiple ways of semantically combining its subparts. For instance, the English sentence "Everybody isn't here" is ambiguous between an interpretation where not everybody is here and another interpretation where nobody is. This ambiguity is an example of scope ambiguity, a phenomenon widely studied in formal semantics. De re/de dicto ambiguity is another notable example of sentence-level ambiguity which has received much attention in linguistics and philosophy. In some analyses, such ambiguities are the semantic reflexes of syntactic ambiguities, though in other approaches they are not. (Wikipedia).

Video thumbnail

Scope Ambiguity - Semantics in Linguistics

We take a look at Scope Ambiguity in this #semantics and #syntax video in #linguistics. We look at logical form to see how we can represent this in a tree structure to get two meanings. We also look at a little trick of translating predicate logic sentences with more than one quantifier.

From playlist Semantics in Linguistics

Video thumbnail

SEM131 - Ambiguity

This E-Lecture discusses and exemplifies the phenomenon of ambiguity, ranging from lexical to pragmatic. And as usual, Prof. Handke uses numerous examples to illustrate this ubiquous property of natural language expressions.

From playlist VLC103 - The Nature of Meaning

Video thumbnail

SEM132 - Vagueness

This E-Lecture is a continuation of "Ambiguity". Prof. Handke discusses and exemplifies the types of vagueness including some general problems, such as, the fuzziness of boundaries or habitual use.

From playlist VLC103 - The Nature of Meaning

Video thumbnail

PRF 2: handling linguistic ambiguity

We overview 5 ways a search engine can use for easing the problems arising with linguistic ambiguity.

From playlist Relevance Feedback

Video thumbnail

[Introduction to Linguistics] Ambiguity, Paraphrase, Entailment, Contradiction

Today we discuss lexical and syntactic ambiguity, entailment, paraphrasing and contradictions. LIKE AND SHARE THE VIDEO IF IT HELPED! Support me on Patreon: http://bit.ly/2EUdAl3 Visit our website: http://bit.ly/1zBPlvm Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/1vWiRxW Like us on Facebook: htt

From playlist Introduction to Linguistics

Video thumbnail

SEM130 - Ambiguity vs. Vagueness

In the E-Lectures "Ambiguity" and "Vagueness", Prof. Handke explained and exemplified the central aspects of these two phenomena. This third E-Lecture, not only summarizes its two predecessors but also reconciles them: It introduces and applies the central tests that are used draw a distui

From playlist VLC103 - The Nature of Meaning

Video thumbnail

SEM_024 - Linguistic Micro-Lectures: Scope Ambiguity

What is scope ambiguity, how can it be defined and analyzed? Within less than two minutes Prof. Handke discusses this often forgotten type of ambiguity. Literature references for this topic can be found in "VLC104 - The Nature of Meaning" on: https://oer-vlc.de All data that is used in t

From playlist Micro-Lectures - Semantics

Video thumbnail

PSY 523 Sentence Structure

Lecturer: Dr. Erin M. Buchanan Missouri State University Summer/Fall 2016 PSY 523 Psychology and Language lectures covering material from Harley's The Psychology of Language: From Data to Theory. Lecture materials and assignments available at statisticsofdoom.com. https://statisticsofdo

From playlist PSY 523 Psychology and Language

Video thumbnail

Lecture 11 – Semantic Parsing | Stanford CS224U: Natural Language Understanding | Spring 2019

For more information about Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence professional and graduate programs, visit: https://stanford.io/ai Professor Christopher Potts & Consulting Assistant Professor Bill MacCartney, Stanford University http://onlinehub.stanford.edu/ Professor Christopher Potts Pr

From playlist Stanford CS224U: Natural Language Understanding | Spring 2019

Video thumbnail

Introduction to Natural Language Processing | NLP Tutorial | Edureka | ML/DS Live - 1

🔥Edureka's Post Graduate Program in AI & Machine Learning with NIT Warangal: https://www.edureka.co/post-graduate/machine-learning-and-ai This Edureka video will provide you with a detailed description of NLP (Natural Language Processing). You will also learn about the various applications

From playlist Brief Introduction to Data Science

Video thumbnail

Lecture 21: Semantics, Part 5

MIT 24.900 Introduction to Linguistics, Spring 2022 Instructor: Prof. Norvin W. Richards View the complete course: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/24-900-introduction-to-linguistics-spring-2022/ YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUl4u3cNGP63BZGNOqrF2qf_yxOjuG35j This v

From playlist MIT 24.900 Introduction to Linguistics, Spring 2022

Video thumbnail

Context Free Languages

Theory of Computation 5. Context Free Languages ADUni

From playlist [Shai Simonson]Theory of Computation

Video thumbnail

CERIAS Security: A Generalized Temporal Role Based Access Control Model 3/5

Clip 3/5 Speaker: James Joshi · Pittsburgh University A key issue in computer system security is to protect information against unauthorized access. Emerging workflow-based applications in healthcare, manufacturing, the financial sector, and e-commerce inherently have complex, time-ba

From playlist The CERIAS Security Seminars 2004

Video thumbnail

Semantic Data

Watch as Manager of Data and Semantics Engineering Jeremy Michelson covers semantic data and natural language functions in Mathematica 10. For more training resources, please visit: http://www.wolfram.com/Training/

From playlist New in Mathematica 10

Video thumbnail

An Overview of Relations and Functions for Linguists - Semantics in Linguistics

In this video on #semantics in #linguistics we introduce relations and functions, talk about properties of relations and types of functions. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGYSfZbPp3BiAFs531PBY7g/join Instagram: http://instagram.com/TrevTutorOf

From playlist Semantics in Linguistics

Related pages

Prosody (linguistics) | Ambiguity