Ambiguous Expression
Some writers, however, call an expression ambiguous simply if it admits of more than one interpretation, without adding that it is not possible to tell which meaning is intended. With this definition, the above sentence is am- biguous because it could mean that Joan placed $500 in a riverbank, and someone, for whatever reason, gave her a receipt for doing so. On this second definition of ambiguity, virtually every expression is ambiguous, because vir- tually every expression admits of more than one interpretation. On our first definition, only uses of expressions that are misleading or potentially mislead- ing will be called ambiguous. In what follows, we will use the word “ambigu- ous” in accordance with the first definition. Ambiguity then depends on the context, because whether something is misleading also depends on context.
In everyday life, context usually settles which of a variety of meanings is appropriate. Yet sometimes genuine misunderstandings do arise. An Ameri- can and a European discussing “football” may have different games in mind. The European is talking about what Americans call “soccer”; the American is talking about what Europeans call “American football.” It is characteristic of the ambiguous use of a term that when it comes to light, we are likely to say something like, “Oh, you mean that kind of cardinal!” or “Oh, you were talk- ing about American football!” This kind of misunderstanding can cause trou- ble. When it does, if we want to criticize the expression that creates the problem, we call it ambiguous.
