Ambiguity

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

John Phillips (National University of Singapore); Chrissie Tan (National University of Singapore)
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  • The Literary Encyclopedia. WORLD HISTORY AND IDEAS: A CROSS-CULTURAL VOLUME.

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The meaning of a word or sign is described as ambiguous if it is open to more than one interpretation or explanation. The term is used in rhetoric to denote one of many vices, or stylistic faults. The rhetorical vice of

ambiguitas

(the Latin translation of the classical Greek

amphibologia

) describes an ambiguity of grammatical structure often brought about by the poor use of punctuation. Ambiguity as a stylistic fault remains a current concern, as the continuing popularity of often humorous grammar primers shows. In rhetoric, however, a use of language that in one sense exemplifies a stylistic vice may, in another, exemplify a virtue. So locutions that foster double meanings and equivocal senses abound in the history of letters and especially, some would argue, in literary texts, where…

899 words

Citation: Phillips, John, Chrissie Tan. "Ambiguity". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 July 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=31, accessed 19 March 2024.]

31 Ambiguity 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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