Here are some examples of ambiguities I found in advertisements, headlines or campaigns: - "Tired of paying full price? Come to our 50% off sale!" This could mean either 50% off regular prices, or that everything is half price. - "New car gets 50 mpg highway." It's unclear if this refers to the average for all models of this car, or just a specific high-efficiency trim level. - "Senator supports family values." What exactly constitutes "family values" could be interpreted in different ways by different people. - "Grand opening - half price for 1 week only." It's ambiguous whether this means everything is half price, or just select items.

1. Week 2 Session 2

2. 2
Back to Generative Grammar
How superficially different sentences are closely
related?
How superficially similar sentences are different?

3. 3
Deep and surface structure
 The deep structure is an abstract level of structural organization in
which all the elements determining structural interpretation are
represented.
 Sentences that have alternative interpretations
 Sentences that have different surface forms but have the same underlying
meaning.
 Surface structure= how the sentence is actually represented

4. 4
Deep and surface structure
 How superficially different sentences are closely related?
 Charlie broke the window. (Active)
 The window was broken by Charlie. (Passive)
 Charlie who broke the window. (Active)
 Was the window broken by Charlie? (Passive)
 Difference in their surface structure = difference in syntactic forms
 BUT they have the same ‘deep’ or underlying structure

5. Ambiguity:
What does this sentence mean?
i. Annie bumped into a man with an umbrella.
i. Annie had an umbrella and she bumped into a man.
ii. Annie bumped into a man when he happened to be carrying an
umbrella.
Distinct underlying interpretations that have to be represented
differently in deep structure is called Structural Ambiguity.

6. 6
Structural ambiguity
 How superficially similar sentences are different? (multiple
meanings)
 E.g. Annie whacked the man with an umbrella.
 Same surface structure but different deep structure
 The boy saw the man with a telescope.
 The question is: What is the scope of "with the telescope"? Does it
modify only "the man" or does it modify "saw the man"?

7. 7
Structural Ambiguity (1)
The boy saw the man with the telescope.
V PP
with
NPP
the
Det N
telescopeThe
N
saw
S
NP VP
Det
boy
NP
the
Det N
man
Meaning: Using the telescope, the boy saw the man

8. 8
Structural Ambiguity (2)
The boy saw the man with the telescope
V
PP
with
NPP
the
Det N
telescopeThe
N
saw
S
NP VP
Det
boy
NP
the
Det N
man
Meaning: The boy saw the man. The man had a telescope.

9. 9
Recursion
 Rules can be applied more than once in generating
sentences
 E.g. repeat prepositional phrase more than once
The gun was on the table near the window in the bedroom in the
pink house
 Put sentences inside sentences
This is the cat that ate the rat that ate the cheese that was sold
by the man that lived in the city that was on the river…
 No end to recursion- produce longer complex sentences

10. 10
Back to recursion
[Mary helped George]. (A sentence)
[Cathy knew] that [Mary helped George].
(a sentence within a sentence)
[John believed] that [Cathy knew] that [Mary
helped George].
The word that introduces the complement phrase

11. 11
Complement Phrases
 Cathy knew that Mary helped George
 That = complementizer (C) introducing complement phrase
(CP)
 The CP comes after the VP
 S NP VP
 VP V CP
 CP C S

12. 12
Complement Phrases

14. 14
Transformational Rules
 Phrase structure rules represent ‘deep’ structure- always
generate structures with fixed word order.
 Mary saw George recently.
Recently, Mary saw George.
 Transformational rules= take a specific part and attach it in another
place
 You will help Cathy
 Will you help Cathy?

15. 15
Transformational Rules

16. 16
 Draw two phrase structure trees
representing the two meanings of the
sentence:
 The magician touched the child with the wand.
Exercise 4: Ambiguity
1.The magician touched the child. The child has the wand.
2.The magician touched the child using the wand.

17. 17
Exercise 5: Ambiguity
 Draw the phrase structure trees and write the two meanings of each of the
sentences below.
1. The house on the corner with a sign
2. We met an English history teacher.
3. Flying planes can be dangerous.
4. The parents of the bride and groom were waiting outside.
5. The students complained to everyone that they couldn’t understand.
6. The chicken is ready to eat.
7. Mary hit Sheila and then she started bleeding.

18. Sample Answers
1. The house on the corner with a sign
i. There is a house on the corner, and that house has a sign.
ii. There is a corner with a sign, and a house is on that corner.
2. We met an English history teacher.
i. The history teacher we met was English.
ii. The teacher teaches history in English.
iii. The teacher teaches English history.
iv. The teacher teaches English and history.
3. Flying planes can be dangerous.
i. Being a pilot that flies planes can be dangerous.
ii. Air travel can be dangerous.
4. The parents of the bride and groom were waiting outside.
i. The parents are waiting outside for the bride and groom.
ii. Both the parents of the bride and the groom were waiting outside.

19. 5. The students complained to everyone that they couldn’t understand.
i. The students complained to everyone that they (the students themselves) couldn't understand. They
just complained to everyone.
ii. The students complained to everyone whom they could not understand.
6. The chicken is ready to eat.
i. The chicken is cooked and ready to eat.
ii. The chicken is hungry and now ready to eat.
7. Mary hit Sheila and then she started bleeding.
i. Mary hit Sheila. Sheila started bleeding.
ii. Mary hit Sheila but Mary started bleeding.

20. Exercise 6. Find ambiguities in advertisements,
headlines or campaigns.