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The higher the number of synonyms a word has, the higher the degree of ambiguity. [1] 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. [2]
to a motion she made (the verb "duck", the subject of which is the objective pronoun "her", object of the verb "saw"). [5] Syntactic ambiguity arises when a sentence can have two (or more) different meanings because of the structure of the sentence—its syntax. This is often due to a modifying expression, such as a prepositional phrase, the ...
group of plain beds used as no-frills lodging (UK: dormitory, q.v.); also used as a verb ("I bunked with them in their room"; "The cabin could bunk about 18") bureau: a type of writing table: a public office or government agency a type of chest of drawers: burn (n.) (Scotland and Northern England) narrow river, stream – more s.v. creek
For example, it is common to explain an unfamiliar term by using "or" and a familiar synonym in parentheses: "the orca (or killer whale) ...". To someone unfamiliar with the subject this can be ambiguous, suggesting an alternative; compare the valid sentences "A seal pup may be eaten by an orca (or killer whale)."
Synonyms of "verbosity" include wordiness, ... a form of the verb garrīre, ... Circumlocution – Ambiguous or roundabout figure of speech;
For example, verbs such as stare, gaze, view and peer can also be considered hyponyms of the verb look, which is their hypernym. The meaning relation between hyponyms and hypernyms applies to lexical items of the same word class (that is, part of speech) , and holds between senses rather than words.
Polysemy is distinct from homonymy—or homophony—which is an accidental similarity between two or more words (such as bear the animal, and the verb bear); whereas homonymy is a mere linguistic coincidence, polysemy is not. In discerning whether a given set of meanings represent polysemy or homonymy, it is often necessary to look at the ...
v. the verb "buffalo" meaning to outwit, confuse, deceive, intimidate, or baffle. The sentence is syntactically ambiguous; one possible parse (marking each "buffalo" with its part of speech as shown above) is as follows: Buffalo a buffalo n Buffalo a buffalo n buffalo v buffalo v Buffalo a buffalo n.