am·b|g·u·ousad[ect|ve /amblgyoors/ 1Ŧ %of language) Cpen Lo more Lhan one lnLerpreLaLlonŤ havlng a double meanlng 4 Ŵ Lhe quesLlon ls raLher amb|guous 4 Ŵ amb|guous phrases 2Ŧ Dnclear or lnexacL because a cholce beLween alLernaLlves has noL been made 4 Ŵ Lhls whole socleLy ls morally amb|guous 4 Ŵ Lhe elecLlon resulL was amb|guous kedundancyţ ln languageţ may refer Loť edundancy %llngulsLlcs)ţ Lhe consLrucLlon of a phrase LhaL presenLs some ldea uslng more lnformaLlonţ ofLen vla mulLlple meansţ Lhan ls necessary for one Lo be able undersLand Lhe ldea @auLology %rheLorlc)ţ an unnecessary or unessenLlal %and someLlmes unlnLenLlonal) repeLlLlon of meanlngţ uslng dlfferenL and dlsslmllar words LhaL effecLlvely say Lhe same Lhlng Lwlce %ofLen orlglnally from dlfferenL languages) 9leonasmţ Lhe use of more words or wordŴparLs Lhan ls necessary for clear expresslonţ ofLen redundanLly ogorrhoea %llngulsLlcs)ţ an excesslve flow of words more generally A |gure o speech ls Lhe use of a word or words dlverglng from lLs usual meanlngŦ lL can also be a speclal repeLlLlonţ arrangemenL or omlsslon of words wlLh llLeral meanlngţ or a phrase wlLh a speclallzed meanlng noL based on Lhe llLeral meanlng of Lhe words ln lLţ as ln ldlomţ meLaphorţ slmlleţ hyperboleţ or personlflcaLlonŦ llgures of speech ofLen provlde emphaslsţ freshness of expresslonţ or clarlLyŦ Poweverţ clarlLy may also suffer from Lhelr useţ as any flgure of speech lnLroduces an amblgulLy beLween llLeral and flguraLlve lnLerpreLaLlonŦ A flgure of speech ls someLlmes called a rheLorlcal flgure or a locuLlonŦ noL all Lheorles of meanlng have a concepL of ƍllLeral languageƍ %see llLeral and flguraLlve language)Ŧ Dnder Lheorles LhaL do noLţ flqote of speecb ls noL an enLlrely coherenL concepLŦ heLorlc orlglnaLed as Lhe sLudy of Lhe ways ln whlch a source LexL can be Lransformed Lo sulL Lhe goals of Lhe person reuslng Lhe maLerlalŦ lor Lhls goalţ classlcal rheLorlc deLecLed four fundamenLal operaLlons ż1Ž LhaL can be used Lo Lransform a senLence or a larger porLlon of a LexLť expanslonţ abrldgemenLţ swlLchlngţ and LransferrlngŦ @he flgure of speech comes ln many varleLlesŦ @he alm ls Lo use Lhe language lnvenLlvely Lo accenLuaLe Lhe effecL of whaL ls belng saldŦ A few examples followť ƍound Lhe rugged rocks Lhe ragged rascal ranƍ ls an example of alllLeraLlonţ where Lhe consonanL t ls used repeaLedlyŦ Whereasţ ƍSlsLer Suzy sewlng socks for soldlersƍ ls a parLlcular form of alllLeraLlon called slbllanceţ because lL repeaLs Lhe leLLer sŦ 8oLh are commonly used ln poeLryŦ ƍShe would run up Lhe sLalrs and Lhen a new seL of curLalnsƍ ls a varleLy of zeugma called a syllepslsŦ oo op refers Lo ascendlng and also Lo manufacLurlngŦ @he effecL ls enhanced by Lhe momenLary suggesLlonţ Lhrough a punţ LhaL she mlghL be cllmblng up Lhe curLalnsŦ @he elllpsls or omlsslon of Lhe second use of Lhe verb makes Lhe reader Lhlnk harder abouL whaL ls belng saldŦ ƍMlllLary lnLelllgence ls an oxymoronƍ ls Lhe use of dlrecL sarcasm Lo suggesL LhaL Lhe mlllLary would have no lnLelllgenceŦ @hls mlghL be consldered Lo be a saLlre and a Lerse aphorlsmŦ ƍ8uL heƌs a soldlerţ so he has Lo be an LlnsLelnƍ ls Lhe use of sarcasm Lhrough lrony for Lhe same effecLŦ @he use of hyperbole by uslng Lhe word lostelo calls aLLenLlon Lo Lhe lronlc lnLenLŦ Ao lostelo ls an example of synechdocheţ as lL uses a parLlcular name Lo represenL a class of peopleť genlusesŦ ƍl had buLLerflles ln my sLomachƍ ls a meLaphorţ referrlng Lo my nervousness feellng as lf Lhere were flylng lnsecLs ln my sLomachŦ @o say ƍlL was llke havlng some buLLerflles ln my sLomachƍ would be a slmlleţ because lL uses Lhe word lke whlch ls mlsslng ln Lhe meLaphorŦ |nerence °° Ŧ Lhe acL or process of lnferrlngŦ 2ŦsomeLhlng LhaL ls lnferredť to moke tosb lofeteocesŦ Ŧoqlc Ŧ aŦLhe process of derlvlng Lhe sLrlcL loglcal consequencesof assumed premlsesŦ bŦLhe process of arrlvlng aL some concluslon LhaLţ LhoughlL ls noL loglcally derlvable fr om Lhe assumed premlsesţpossesses some degree of probablllLy relaLlve Lo Lhe premlsesŦ cŦa proposlLlon reached by a process of lnferenceŦ ass|m||at|on %9booetlcs) Lhe acL or process by whlch a sound becomesldenLlcal wlLh or slmllar Lo a nelghborln g sound ln one or moredeflnlng characLerlsLlcsţ as place of arLlculaLlonţ volce orvolcel essnessţ or manner of arLlculaLlon homonym ln llngulsLlcsţ a homonym lsţ ln Lhe sLrlcL senseţ one of a group of words LhaL share Lhe same spelllng ooJ Lhe same pronunclaLlon buL have dlfferenL meanlngsŦ ż1Ž @hus homonyms are slmulLaneouslyhomographs %words LhaL share Lhe same spelllngţ lrrespecLlve of Lhelr pronunclaLlon) ooJ homophones %words LhaL share Lhe same pronunclaLlonţ lrrespecLlve of Lhelr spelllng)Ŧ @he sLaLe of belng a homonym ls called ¯°¯Ŧ Lxamples of homonyms are Lhe palr stok %parL of a planL) and stok %follow/harass a person) and Lhe palr eft %pasL Lense of leave) and eft %opposlLe of rlghL)Ŧ A dlsLlncLlon ls someLlmes made beLween ƍLrueƍ homonymsţ whlch are unrelaLed ln orlglnţ such as skote %gllde on lce) and skote %Lhe flsh)ţ and polysemous homonymsţ or polysemesţ whlch have a shared orlglnţ such as mootb %of a rlver) and mootb %of an anlmal)Ŧ ż2Žż3Ž ln nonŴLechnlcal conLexLsţ Lhe Lerm ƍhomonymƍ may be used %somewhaL confuslngly) Lo refer Lo words LhaL are elLher homographs ot homophonesŦ ż1Ž ln Lhls looser senseţ Lhe words tow %propel wlLh oars) and tow %argumenL) are consldered homonymsţ as are Lhe words teoJ %peruse) and teeJ %waLerslde planL)Ŧ 9o|ysemy @he coexlsLence of many posslble meanlngs for a word or phraseŦ ¾ ¾ ¾f½fnf¯f f°nf ¾ f°n nf¾ ½ f¾ ¾ f n¯¯°¾ °½ ° ½ ¾f¾ f° ° f ° ¾ nf°¾ ¾ f f ¯fnf f¾ ½¾¾ ° ½ ¾ f¾n ° ° f° f¾ ¯f°fn° @ n ¾ °f°n ¯¯ °f ¾ ¾° f½° f¾ ¯ n¯ °½ nf°¾ @ ½¾¾¯¾¾° ¾ n° ¾ ¯f ¾ f °f f f¾ °¾f .f° °n ¾f°¯° ¾ ¾ n¾fnf¾¯¾ ¾f ¯f f ° ° °n @¾ ¯ n°¾ f¾f f° f ¾ f½¾¯ ¾f¾ ¾ f¾ f°°¾ ° ¾ ¾ ¾fnf¾¯ ° ¾f¯ n @ ¾ ½ ¾° °¾ °nf¾ f °° °n ° ° ° °¾ °¾ f° f¯½ ¾° n n f¾ ¾ ¾ f ½fnf °f¯ ½ ¾ ° f nf¾¾ ½ ½ °¾ ¾ f ¾ ° ¯ ¾¯fn ¾ f¯ f½ ° ¯ ° ¾° ¾¾ ° f¾ °°¾ n¾° ¯ ¾¯fn @ ¾f f¾ f° ¾¯ ¾ ° ¯ ¾¯fn f¾¯ nf¾ ¾ ¾ n¾¯¾¾°° ¯ f½ ° °n °° fn½n ¾¾° ° ¾¯ °f¾° ¯f f¾° °n ¾ n f ½n ¾¾ ° ¾nnfn°¾ °n ¾f¾¾¯ ½ ¯¾ ¾ ½n ¾¾f°f¾¯ n°n¾°f ¾°nf f ¯ f¾¾¯ ½ ¯¾ ¾ ½¾¾ ¾¾ ¾¾¯ ½ f f ½ ¯¾ ¾ n f½½¾° fn f½n ¾¾° °n f¾¾¯f° %9° n¾% fn½n ¾¾ nf¾° n¯ ¾ °nf¾¯ff° ° ¾° °° ¯ °°nffn ¾n¾ f¾½fn fnf° n n ¾¾° ¾¾ ¯f°° fnf° ¯°¯ °°¾n¾ f¯°¯¾ ° ¾n¾ °¾ ° f½ ¾f¾f ¾f¯ ¾½ °f° ¾f¯ ½°°nf° f ° ¯ f°°¾ @¾ ¯°¯¾ f ¾¯f° ¾¯f½¾% ¾ f ¾f ¾f¯ ¾½ ° ¾½ n ½°°nf°%f° ¯½° ¾% ¾ f ¾f ¾f¯ . ½°°nf° ¾½ n ¾½ °% @ ¾f ° f ¯°¯ ¾ nf ¯°¯ f¯½ ¾ ¯°¯¾ f ½f¾f%½f f ½f°% f° ¾f%$ff¾¾ f ½ ¾°% f° ½f %½f¾ °¾ f % f° %½½¾ % ¾°n° ¾ ¾¯ ¯ ¾ ¯f ° ¯°¯¾ nf ° f °° ¾nf¾¾f % °n %f° ¾f % ¾% f° ½¾ ¯¾ ¯°¯¾ ½¾ ¯ ¾ n f f ¾f ° ¾n f¾¯%f %f° ¯%f°f°¯f% °°° n°nfn° ¾ ¯ ¯°¯ ¯f ¾ %¾¯ fn°¾°% ¾ff ¯f½¾¯½° ¾ °¾¾ ¾ °¾ ¾%½½ f¾%f° %f¯ °%f n°¾ ¯°¯¾ f¾ f ¾ f %½ ¾ %f° %f ¾ ½f°% 9¾ ¯ @ n ¾ °n ¯f°½¾¾ ¯ f°°¾f ½f¾ .