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What Is The Difference Between Polysemy and Ambiguity?

Polysemy refers to a single word or phrase having multiple related meanings, while ambiguity occurs when a word or phrase can be interpreted in more than one way, making the intended meaning unclear. Polysemy involves meanings that are clear and related, whereas ambiguity involves senses that are vague, unclear, or indefinite. A word is considered ambiguous if it involves two distinct lexical items that have identical forms but distinct meanings.

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Jesus Villanueva
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52 views

What Is The Difference Between Polysemy and Ambiguity?

Polysemy refers to a single word or phrase having multiple related meanings, while ambiguity occurs when a word or phrase can be interpreted in more than one way, making the intended meaning unclear. Polysemy involves meanings that are clear and related, whereas ambiguity involves senses that are vague, unclear, or indefinite. A word is considered ambiguous if it involves two distinct lexical items that have identical forms but distinct meanings.

Uploaded by

Jesus Villanueva
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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WHAT IS TH E D I F F E R E N C E

BETWEEN PO LY S E M Y A N D
AMBIGUITY?
POLYSEMY
More than one meaning.

Multiple meanings that are related


clear
AMBIGUITY
BE INTERPRETED IN MORE THAN ONE WAY.
UNCLEAR

"This shot will make you smart."


LEXICAL AMBIGUITY AND POLYSEMY BOTH INDICATE VAGUE, UNCLEAR, AND INDEFINITE SENSES.
A WORD IS AMBIGUOUS IF IT INVOLVES TWO LEXICAL ITEMS THAT HAVE IDENTICAL FORMS, BUT HAVE
DISTINCT.

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