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Introduction
Despite the fact that
ambiguity in language is an essential part of language, it is
often an obstacle to be ignored or a problem to be solved for
people to understand each other. Ambiguity provides value. It
can be understood as an illustration of the complexity of
language itself. I will use three major accomplishments of
human creativity: literature, psychoanalysis and computational
linguistics, as examples of where language ambiguity has in
important place.
What
Does Language Ambiguity Mean?
Something is ambiguous
when it can be understood in two or more possible senses or
ways. Ambiguity should be extended to any verbal nuance, which
gives room to alternative reactions to the same linguistic
element.
Working
with Words and Their Meanings
(1)
Ambiguity and Literature
We tend to
think of language as a clear and literal vehicle for
accurately communicating ideas. But even when we use language
literally, misunderstandings arise and meanings shift. As we
know, most words can have denotations, apparent meanings,
connotations and implied or hidden meanings. Also, we often
use words in a figurative way.
Metaphors
are obvious vehicles for ambiguity. A living metaphor always
carries dual meanings, the literal or sentence meaning and the
conveyed or utterance meaning. Metaphors serve to emphasize
the freedom of the reader as opposed to the authority of the
writer. The overlapping meanings emerge from the tropes, ways
of saying something by always saying something else. In this
sense, ambiguity in literature has a very dark side. Taking
into consideration why all the aforementioned could be
considered as a curse, no example of literature better serves
than the Bible. By cynically using the Bible for political
purposes, Hitler did in his attempted annihilation of the
Jews. When important documents are interpreted in different
ways, it results in persecution, oppression, and death.
(2)
Ambiguity and Psychoanalysis
Giving
meaning to human behavior is one of the challenges for
Psychoanalysis and Psychology. The operability of the
psychoanalysis relies on a semantic base. The
Freudian concept of symptoms as symbols and the cure based on
the spoken word, immediately established a link between
psychoanalysis and linguistics. For the discourse analysis is
very important. If everything we know is viewed as a
transition from something else—Freud said in The Antithetical Meaning of Primal Words, every experience must have
a double meaning or for every meaning there must be two
aspects. All meaning is only meaningful in reference to, and
in distinction from, other meanings; there is no meaning in
any stable or absolute sense. Meanings are multiple, changing,
and contextual.
(3)
Ambiguity and Computational Linguistics
One of the
most significant problems in processing natural language is
the problem of ambiguity. Most ambiguities escape our notice
because we are very good at resolving then using context and
our knowledge of the world. But computer systems do not have
this knowledge, and consequently do not do a good job of
making use of the context. The reality is that there no
operational computer system capable of determining the
intended meanings of words in discourse exists today.
Nevertheless, solving the polysemy problem is so important
that all efforts will continue.
Conclusion
Language cannot exist
without ambiguity. Psychological, social and cultural events
provide a moving ground on which those meanings take root and
expand their branches. It can be seen that ambiguity in
language is both a blessing and a curse.
http://www.translationdirectory.com/article08.htm
語言的歧義性：究竟是福還是禍？
簡介
語言的歧義性不但是語言中重要的ㄧ環，也是人們語言理解過程中，必須解決的問題。語言的歧義性有其價值，可用以說明語言本身的複雜性。以下分別以文學、心理分析及計算機語言為例，說明歧義性在其中所扮演的重要角色。
語言歧義性的意義
當同一個概念，具有兩種以上的不同意義或解讀方式，我們稱之為歧義性。語言中，字句涵義上的細微差別，都會提供相同的語言元素，不同的解讀方式。
語言歧義性的實際運用
(1)
文學的歧義性
語言常被認為是溝通過程中，最能清楚傳遞意義的媒介。然而，即使我們如實地傳達文句的字面意涵，語意仍有可能轉變，誤解也就隨之而來。大多數的字有原始意義、字面意義、言外之意及影射涵義，甚至是譬喻手法的應用。
歧義性在隱喻修辭中，發揮地淋漓盡致。運用得當的隱喻一般帶有兩種涵義：字面意義及言外之意。相對於作者全知的主觀詮釋，隱喻強調讀者的自由解讀。譬喻修辭中會出現重疊的語意指示，即藉此說彼的手法。如此看來，語意不清的結果註定為文學招致無止境的浩劫，這點由眾人對聖經的闡釋即可獲得證明︰為達政治目的，希特勒惡意曲解聖經意涵，以其詮釋為圭臬，企圖滅絕猶太族群。由此可見，當重要的文字出現不同的詮釋時，常導致迫害、壓制和毀滅。
(2)
心理分析的歧義性
對精神分析學及心理學而言，解釋人類的行為是一大挑戰。精神分析學的可操作性建立在語義的基礎上。佛洛伊德學說迅速地建立起心理分析學及語言學的連結，他認為癥狀是種象徵，而治療方式建立在口說的語言上。言語的分析很重要，佛洛伊德在「原始文字的雙重意義」一書中指出，如果每件事都被視為另一件事的中介轉換，則每個經驗一定都有雙重意義、每個意義必定涵蓋兩種層面。意義唯有在比較對照之下才會產生，換言之，任何意義都非絕對。意義的特色是多重且持續變化的，其確切意涵須視文意脈絡而定。
(3)
計算機語言的歧義性
歧義性是計算機處理人類語言一大問題。我們大多不曾留意語言歧義性的使用，這是因為我們善於根據上下文及自身的知識，來推敲語義。但電腦系統不具備此知識，難以透過上下文來判斷文意。現今的電腦操作系統尚無法辨別文字在文句脈絡中所要傳達的意義。人類語言一詞多義的特性，是機械釋義上的一大問題，因此，以電腦解讀人類語言的改良研究勢必持續進行。
結論
只要有語言，歧義性就一定存在。語意由不同的心理、社會和文化脈絡中生根發展、汲取養分，以此為基礎，日積月累，向外衍伸出更多的意涵。由此可見，歧義性除了其負面價值外，也為人類帶來正面貢獻。
曾靖雯
莊伊琪
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