Ambiguity in Language: Lexical vs. Structural Ambiguity

Ambiguity in language can arise from:

A) Lexical ambiguity

B) Structural ambiguity

C) Both lexical and structural ambiguity

D) Neither lexical nor structural ambiguity

Final answer:

Ambiguity in language can stem from both lexical and structural ambiguity. Lexical ambiguity involves words with multiple meanings, while structural ambiguity involves sentences with more than one possible interpretation.

Explanation:

Ambiguity in language can arise from both lexical ambiguity and structural ambiguity. Lexical ambiguity occurs when a single word has multiple meanings, which can create confusion about the word's intended meaning in a particular context. On the other hand, structural ambiguity arises when a sentence or phrase can be interpreted in more than one way due to its structure. An example of lexical ambiguity is the word "bat", which can refer to an animal or a piece of sports equipment. An example of structural ambiguity is the phrase "old men and women," where it's unclear if both men and women are old, or just the men.

When answering the question of where ambiguity in language can arise from, the correct answer is C) Both lexical and structural ambiguity.