LITERATURE REVIEW
1
Part A
Ambiguity generally refers to a particular kind of meaning where any phrase, resolution
or statement has not been clearly and explicitly defined due to which it can be interpreted in
various ways. In the present article, the writer provides mainly three sources of ambiguity which
are semantic, syntactic and contextual.
Semantic ambiguity arises in case where a word, sentence or phrase can be interpreted in
more than one way1. In the semantic type, ambiguity arises due to the different usage of the
words. In some cases, the meanings of the word changes from place to place like for instance,
what sidewalk means in America has the same meaning for pavement in Britain. Similarly such
change can occur from group to group or from moment to moment like in case of legal practice,
where two solicitors are discussing about estate of Jones, one solicitor will refer it as the house
owned by family of Jones whereas the other solicitor will refer it as what is being left after death
of Jones. Moreover, under this category, it is also seen that one word has more than one meaning
and to remove ambiguity, dictionary can be referred. Similarly, ambiguity occurs while drafting
of time limit. For instance, ‘by date’ means prior to that date or not post the date.
Again syntactic ambiguity occurs when noun strings are present2. It occurs when a
statement or a phrase can decipher two distinct meanings because of the structuring of the
sentence that is due to its syntax. This type of ambiguity arises when a group of words or a
sentence can be interpreted in many ways due to its ambiguous structuring of words. For
instance, ‘lessor’s advocate’s cost and expense’ can mean lessor’s advocate’s cost and lessor’s
1 Vitello, Sylvia, and Jennifer M. Rodd. "Resolving semantic ambiguities in sentences: Cognitive processes and
brain mechanisms." (2015) Language and Linguistics Compass 9.10 : 391-405.
2 Kennedy, Christopher. "8 Ambiguity and vagueness: An overview." (2019) Semantics-Lexical Structures and
Adjectives: 236.

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Sources of Doubt: A Literature Review

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