TIP OF THE DAY 47: Ambiguity: various causes

MJ. Smith · November 2024

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Since the forum change has been delayed, I've started adding these posts to the previous tip list. See L/V 10 Tip of the Day

QUESTION: Name some other types of ambiguity based on morphology, grammar, and syntax.

ANSWER: from Perplexity:

While there isn't a specific term equivalent to "squinting modifier" for ambiguities based on grammatical case, there are some related concepts and terms that linguists use to describe such ambiguities:

1. Case ambiguity: This is a general term used when the grammatical case of a word or phrase is unclear, potentially leading to multiple interpretations.

2. Syncretism: This refers to when different grammatical cases share the same form, potentially causing ambiguity. For example, in many languages, the nominative and accusative forms of certain nouns may be identical.

3. Structural ambiguity: While this term is broader than just case-based ambiguity, it can include instances where the grammatical structure (including case assignments) of a sentence allows for multiple interpretations.

4. Morphological ambiguity: This can occur when the same word form can represent different grammatical cases or functions.

5. Syntactic function ambiguity: This refers to situations where it's unclear what syntactic role (subject, object, etc.) a particular noun phrase is playing, often due to case ambiguity.

6. Case attraction: While not an ambiguity per se, this phenomenon can sometimes lead to ambiguities. It occurs when the case of one word influences the case of another nearby word, potentially obscuring the intended grammatical relationships.

7. Multifunctionality: This term is used when a single case form can serve multiple grammatical functions, potentially leading to ambiguity.

While these terms describe various aspects of case-related ambiguities, there isn't a single, widely-used term that's directly analogous to "squinting modifier" for this specific type of ambiguity. Linguists and grammarians typically describe such ambiguities by referring to the specific cases involved and the resulting potential interpretations.[1]

QUESTION: Provide examples of case ambiguity.

ANSWER: from Perplexity:

Here are some examples of case ambiguity in New Testament Greek:

1. Genitive case ambiguity:

The genitive case in Greek can often be ambiguous between subjective and objective meanings. For example:

- Mark 1:1 - "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ" (Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ)

The genitive "of Jesus Christ" (Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) could be subjective (the gospel Jesus preaches) or objective (the gospel about Jesus).

- 2 Corinthians 5:14 - "For the love of Christ constrains us" (ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ συνέχει ἡμᾶς)

The genitive "of Christ" (τοῦ Χριστοῦ) could mean Christ's love for us or our love for Christ.

2. Dative case ambiguity:

The dative case can be ambiguous between instrumental ("with/by") and locative ("in") meanings. For example:

- Matthew 3:11 - "I baptize you with water" (ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμᾶς βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι)

The dative "water" (ὕδατι) with ἐν could mean "with water" or "in water".

3. Participle ambiguity:

Greek participles can have various adverbial meanings that are ambiguous without context. For example:

- Matthew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples" (πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε)

The participle "going" (πορευθέντες) could have various meanings like "as you go" or "go and...".

4. Prepositional phrase attachment ambiguity:

- Luke 18:11 - "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself" (ὁ Φαρισαῖος σταθεὶς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ταῦτα προσηύχετο)

The phrase "with himself" (πρὸς ἑαυτὸν) could modify "stood" or "prayed".

These examples demonstrate that Greek, while capable of precision, can also have inherent ambiguities that translators and interpreters must wrestle with. The ambiguity is often intentional and preserving it in translation can be important for fully understanding the text[2].

QUESTION: Provide examples of syncretism.

ANSWER: from Perplexity:

In New Testament Greek, there are several instances of syncretism where different grammatical cases share the same form. Here are some examples:

1. Genitive and Ablative syncretism:

The genitive and ablative cases in New Testament Greek always share the same form. For example:

- θεοῦ (theou) - can represent both genitive ("of God") and ablative ("from God")

This syncretism is seen in all Greek nouns, not just θεός (theos). The context determines whether the form should be interpreted as genitive or ablative.

2. Dative, Locative, and Instrumental syncretism:

These three cases also share the same form in New Testament Greek. For example:

- θεῷ (theō) - can represent dative ("to God"), locative ("in God"), or instrumental ("by God")

This syncretism is marked by the iota subscript (ῳ) in the singular form of first and second declension nouns.

3. Nominative and Vocative syncretism:

In many noun classes, especially masculine nouns of the second declension, the nominative and vocative forms are identical. For example:

- θεός (theos) - can be both nominative ("God" as subject) and vocative ("O God" for direct address)

4. Neuter Nominative and Accusative syncretism:

For all neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are always identical in both singular and plural. For example:

- δῶρον (dōron) - "gift" (nominative or accusative singular)

- δῶρα (dōra) - "gifts" (nominative or accusative plural)

5. Feminine Nominative and Vocative syncretism:

In feminine nouns, the nominative and vocative forms are typically identical. For example:

χώρα (chōra) - "land" (nominative or vocative singular)
χῶραι (chōrai) - "lands" (nominative or vocative plural)

These examples of syncretism in New Testament Greek demonstrate how a single morphological form can correspond to multiple morphosyntactic descriptions, which is a key feature of syncretism in linguistics. This syncretism can sometimes lead to ambiguity, requiring context and syntactic analysis to determine the precise grammatical function of a word in a given sentence.[3]

QUESTION: Provide examples of structural ambiguity.

ANSWER: from Perplexity:

Based on the search results and the query, here are some examples of structural ambiguity in New Testament Greek:

1. Luke 18:11 - Prepositional phrase attachment ambiguity:

"ὁ Φαρισαῖος σταθεὶς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ταῦτα προσηύχετο"

This verse is ambiguous in how the prepositional phrase "πρὸς ἑαυτὸν" (to/by himself) attaches to the rest of the sentence. It could mean either:

- "The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed these things"

- "The Pharisee stood and prayed these things to himself"

The ambiguity lies in whether "πρὸς ἑαυτὸν" modifies "σταθεὶς" (standing) or "προσηύχετο" (prayed).

2. 1 Corinthians 15:53-54 - Substantival adjective ambiguity:

"δεῖ γὰρ τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀθανασίαν."

The substantival adjectives "τὸ φθαρτὸν" (the perishable) and "τὸ θνητὸν" (the mortal) are ambiguous. They could refer to:

- Bodies specifically (as many translations supply)

- A more general or theoretical concept of mortality/corruptibility

This ambiguity affects how the verse is interpreted and translated.

3. Prepositional phrase placement:

While not specifically mentioned in the search results, another common source of structural ambiguity in Greek is the placement of prepositional phrases. For example:

Acts 1:3 - "οἷς καὶ παρέστησεν ἑαυτὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν πολλοῖς τεκμηρίοις"

The prepositional phrase "ἐν πολλοῖς τεκμηρίοις" (by many proofs) could modify either:

- "παρέστησεν" (presented himself)

- "ζῶντα" (living)

This creates ambiguity in whether Jesus presented himself by many proofs or whether he was living by many proofs.

These examples demonstrate how Greek word order flexibility and the use of substantival adjectives can create structural ambiguities that require careful interpretation and sometimes lead to different translation choices.[4]

QUESTION: Provide examples of morphological ambiguity.

ANSWER: from Perplexity:

Based on the query and the search results provided, I'll focus on providing examples of morphological ambiguity in New Testament Greek. Morphological ambiguity occurs when a single word form can represent multiple grammatical functions. Here are some examples:

1. Genitive Case Ambiguity:

In 1 Thessalonians 1:3, we see examples of genitive constructions that are morphologically ambiguous:

"τοῦ ἔργου τῆς πίστεως καὶ τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος"

- "ἔργου τῆς πίστεως" (work of faith)

- "κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης" (labor of love)

- "ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος" (steadfastness of hope)

These genitives are morphologically identical but can have different semantic relationships. For example, "labor of love" could mean:

1. Labor because of God's love for them

2. Labor because of their love for God

3. Labor because of their love for others

4. Substantival Adjective Ambiguity:

In 1 Corinthians 15:53-54, we find substantival adjectives that are morphologically ambiguous:

"δεῖ γὰρ τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀθανασίαν"

"τὸ φθαρτὸν" (the perishable)

"τὸ θνητὸν" (the mortal)

These substantival adjectives could refer to bodies specifically or to a more general concept of mortality/corruptibility.

3. Genitive of Jesus Christ:

In Mark 1:1, we see another example of genitive ambiguity:

"Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ"

The genitive "Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ" (of Jesus Christ) could be interpreted as:

1. Objective genitive: the gospel about Jesus Christ

2. Subjective genitive: the gospel preached by Jesus Christ

3. Plenary Genitive:

In 2 Corinthians 5:14, we find an example of what some grammarians call a "plenary genitive":

"ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ συνέχει ἡμᾶς"

"τοῦ Χριστοῦ" (of Christ) could mean:

1. Christ's love for believers

2. Believers' love for Christ

These examples demonstrate how morphological ambiguity in New Testament Greek can lead to multiple possible interpretations, requiring careful analysis of context and sometimes leaving room for intentional double meanings.[5]

QUESTION: Provide examples of syntactic function ambiguity.

ANSWER: from Perplexity:

Based on the search results and the query, here are some examples of syntactic function ambiguity in New Testament Greek:

1. Prepositional Phrase Attachment Ambiguity:

Luke 18:11 - "ὁ Φαρισαῖος σταθεὶς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ταῦτα προσηύχετο"

This verse is ambiguous in how the prepositional phrase "πρὸς ἑαυτὸν" (to/by himself) attaches to the rest of the sentence. It could mean either:

- "The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed these things"

- "The Pharisee stood and prayed these things to himself"

The ambiguity lies in whether "πρὸς ἑαυτὸν" modifies "σταθεὶς" (standing) or "προσηύχετο" (prayed).

2. Participle Ambiguity:

Matthew 28:19 - "πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη"

The participle "πορευθέντες" (going) can be interpreted in different ways:

- "As you go, make disciples..." (temporal or circumstantial)

- "Go and make disciples..." (imperatival)

This ambiguity arises from the inherent imprecision of Greek circumstantial participles.

3. Genitive Construction Ambiguity:

Mark 1:1 - "Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ"

The genitive "Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ" (of Jesus Christ) can be interpreted as:

- Objective genitive: the gospel about Jesus Christ

- Subjective genitive: the gospel preached by Jesus Christ

Some scholars argue this could be an intentional double meaning.

4. Statement vs. Question Ambiguity:

2 Corinthians 10:7 - "τὰ κατὰ πρόσωπον βλέπετε"

This phrase can be interpreted as:

- A statement: "You look at things according to appearance"

- A question: "Do you look at things according to appearance?"

- An exhortation: "Look at what is before your eyes!"

5. Substantival Adjective Ambiguity:

1 Corinthians 15:53-54 - "δεῖ γὰρ τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀθανασίαν"

The substantival adjectives "τὸ φθαρτὸν" (the perishable) and "τὸ θνητὸν" (the mortal) are ambiguous. They could refer to:

- Bodies specifically (as many translations supply)

- A more general or theoretical concept of mortality/corruptibility

These examples demonstrate how syntactic function ambiguity in New Testament Greek can lead to multiple possible interpretations, requiring careful analysis of context and sometimes allowing for intentional double meanings.

QUESTION: Provide examples of case attraction.

ANSWER: from Perplexity:

Based on the search results and the query, here are some examples of case attraction in New Testament Greek:

1. Acts 1:22 - Attraction of the relative pronoun to the case of its antecedent:

"ἄχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ἀνελήμφθη"

Here, the relative pronoun ἧς (which should be accusative ἥν as the object of time) is attracted to the genitive case of its antecedent ἡμέρας.

2. Hebrews 8:2 - Example of non-attraction:

"τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς ἀληθινῆς, ἣν ἔπηξεν ὁ κύριος, οὐκ ἄνθρωπος"

In this case, the relative pronoun ἣν is not attracted to the genitive of its antecedent σκηνῆς, likely because the relative clause is more clearly separated from its antecedent.

3. Luke 2:20 (in Codex Bezae) - Attraction with the dative case:

While not in the main text, the search results mention this as an example of attraction with the dative case.

4. Inverse Attraction:

Although not a specific New Testament example, the search results mention inverse attraction, where the antecedent is attracted to the case of the relative pronoun. For example:

"πολιτείαν οἵαν εἶναι χρή παρὰ μόνοις ἡμῖν ἐστιν"

Here, πολιτείαν (which should be nominative πολιτεία as the subject of ἐστιν) is attracted to the accusative case of the relative pronoun οἵαν.

It's important to note that case attraction, while common, is not a universal rule. The search results indicate that non-attraction can occur for emphasis or clarity, especially in more complex sentences. The phenomenon is particularly common in Luke's writings and the Septuagint, following classical Greek usage.[7]

QUESTION: Provide examples of multifunctionality.

ANSWER: from Perplexity:

Based on the query and the search results provided, here are some examples of multifunctionality in New Testament Greek:

1. Genitive Case Multifunctionality:

In 1 Thessalonians 1:3, we see examples of genitive constructions that can have multiple functions:

"τοῦ ἔργου τῆς πίστεως καὶ τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος"

- "ἔργου τῆς πίστεως" (work of faith)

- "κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης" (labor of love)

- "ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος" (steadfastness of hope)

These genitives can function in multiple ways. For example, "labor of love" could mean:

Labor because of God's love for them
Labor because of their love for God
Labor because of their love for others

2. Plenary Genitive:

In 2 Corinthians 5:14, we find an example of what some grammarians call a "plenary genitive":

"ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ συνέχει ἡμᾶς"

"τοῦ Χριστοῦ" (of Christ) can function as both:

Subjective genitive: Christ's love for believers
Objective genitive: Believers' love for Christ

3. Circumstantial Participle Multifunctionality:

Matthew 28:19 - "πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη"

The participle "πορευθέντες" (going) can function in multiple ways:

Temporal: "As you go, make disciples..."
Imperatival: "Go and make disciples..."

4. Substantival Adjective Multifunctionality:

1 Corinthians 15:53-54 - "δεῖ γὰρ τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀθανασίαν"

The substantival adjectives "τὸ φθαρτὸν" (the perishable) and "τὸ θνητὸν" (the mortal) can function as:

Referring specifically to bodies
Referring to a more general or theoretical concept of mortality/corruptibility

These examples demonstrate how certain Greek constructions can have multiple functions or meanings, requiring careful interpretation based on context. This multifunctionality is an inherent feature of the language and often allows for rich, nuanced readings of the text.