Ambiguity

A ambiguity - of the Greek ampibolia - is, in logic, a grammatical construction which makes it possible a sentence to have two different directions (indecidability) and which can lead to a fallacious Raisonnement.

Example 1:

the oracle of Delphes known as with Crésus that if it continued the Guerre, it would destroy large a kingdom - it had not specified that it would be about the kingdom of Crésus itself (adapted Hérodote, the Stories ).

Example 2:

the old men should not be authorized to lead on the roads, they are well too dangerous.

The sentence can be included/understood in two manners:

  • the true old men being unconscious ones, they make the road dangerous for the others, and so they should not be authorized to lead.
  • the roads are so dangerous that one should not let the old men lead above, for their own good.

Example 3:

It left while crying the coffee…

  • does she cry while leaving the coffee (the bar) or cries it of the coffee as tears?

Example 4 :

When the ambiguity allows the Witty remark or witz .

  • a child on three is born Indian or Chinese. It is well annoying: my wife wants a third of it, and I do not speak any of the two languages. (Herve Tellier, ticket of the site lemonde.fr ).

See too

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