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…
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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 26 November 2024.]
