Scope ambiguity

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Scope ambiguity is the kind of ambiguity that arises when an operator can enter into different scope relations with other scoped elements.

Example

(i)a has the two readings (i)b and c. In (ib) every farmeris construed as having scope over a donkey and in (ic) a donkey is construed as having scope over every farmer:

(i) a  Every farmer loves a donkey
    b  For every farmer there is a donkey such that he loves him
    c  There is a donkey such that every farmer loves him

Links

Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics

References

  • May, R.C. 1977. The Grammar of Quantification, unp. PhD diss., MIT.
  • Montague, R. 1974. Formal philosophy: selected papers of Richard Montague, edited and with an introduction by Richmond H. Thomason, Yale University Press, New Haven

Other languages

German Skopus-Ambiguität

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