PHONOLOGY III

NAME: Pamela Chonata TOPIC: AMBIGUITY

Date: August 4, 2014

1.-POLICE BEGIN CAMPAIGN TO RUN DOWN JAYWALKERS
Lexical Ambiguity
a) The police begin a campaign to find jaywalkers.
b) The Police begin a campaign to hit jaywalkers with cars.
2.-DRUNK GETS NINE MONTHS IN VIOLIN CASE
Lexical Ambiguity
a) The drunken person who was accused of stealing a violin has been found guilty and
will be jailed for nine months. (case = court case)
b) The drunken person will have to spend nine months in a violin case (container).
3.-SAFETY EXPERTS SAY SCHOOL BUS PASSENGERS SHOULD BE BELTED
Lexical Ambiguity
a) Safety experts say that bus passengers should use seat belts (for safety).
b) Safety experts say that bus passengers should be hit with a belt.
4.-LUNG CANCER IN WOMEN MUSHROOMS
Lexical Ambiguity
a) The number of cases of lung cancer in women is growing rapidly.
b) Female mushrooms have cancer!
5.-Experts know what they're talking about.
Referential Ambiguity
a) Experts are talking about what experts know.
b) We dont whether they refer to the Experts or someone else.





6.-Professor A entered the room and said to teacher B:
I hear you had a good time with my wife.
Lexical ambiguity
a) Professor B looked startled and presumably did some high-speed thinking.
b) But Professor A looked friendly, and in a few seconds B relaxed as he realized that
A had used with to mean "in company with" and not "by means of." This was
lexical ambiguity.
7.-My job was keeping him alive.
Lexical ambiguity
a) In this case keeping can be read as the verb (i.e., my job kept him alive).
b) Or as a verbal within the subjective complement keeping him alive.

8.- JUVENILE COURT TO TRY SHOOTING DEFENDANT
Structural Ambiguity
a) A person who is being accused of shooting someone will appear in court.
(court trial)

b) The court will attempt at shooting (killing) the person who is being accused.
9.-MINERS REFUSE TO WORK AFTER DEATH
Structural Ambiguity
a) Miners refuse to work any further, following the death of a miner (at the mining
site).
b) Miners refuse to work after (whose death? their own?) death.
10.-TWO SOVIET SHIPS COLLIDE, ONE DIES
Lexical Ambiguity
a) Two soviet ships have collided, resulting in the death of one passenger.
b) Two soviet ships collided and one of the ships died. (completely destroyed?)