An Analysis of English Ambiguity and Its Value in Practical Use  

作　　者：CHEN Yu 

机构地区：[1]University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

出　　处：《US-China Foreign Language》2013年第6期461-467,共7页美中外语（英文版）

摘　　要：In communication, we usually decode meaning in these levels： grammatical level, semantic level, and pragmatic level. Most of our misunderstandings of the other people are not due to any inability to hear them or to understand their words, but to fail to understand their intention. Thus, when we decode a sentence, we should make clear both the structure and the meaning of it. If not, ambiguous structure and meaning of it are caused. This paper discusses and analyzes different types of English ambiguity. As these ambiguities are easily to cause language obstacles or misunderstandings in communication and discourses, some methods to avoid or eliminate them are suggested. However, English ambiguity is not a negative language phenomenon all the time, it also can benefit the English language very much in the way of being regarded as a type of rhetoric, called pun. Then how to understand puns will be stated, and the methods of how to translate it will also be suggested in order to estimate its practical value.

关 键 词：AMBIGUITY PUN TRANSLATION practical value 

分 类 号：TP391.2[自动化与计算机技术—计算机应用技术] H31[自动化与计算机技术—计算机科学与技术]