The Role of Semantic Ambiguity in Communication and Misunderstanding
Keywords:
Semantic Ambiguity, Comunication, MisunderstandingAbstract
This article aims to explore the function of semantic ambiguity in natural language, focusing on how multiple meanings in words, phrases, or sentences can both facilitate and hinder communication. Using a literature-based approach, the study draws upon theories from linguistic semantics, philosophy of language, and cognitive psychology. The findings reveal that semantic ambiguity operates as a double-edged sword: while it enriches expression through symbolic flexibility and interpretive depth, it also poses a significant risk for misunderstanding, especially when contextual cues are limited or when interlocutors do not share cultural or cognitive frameworks. In digital and cross-cultural interactions, the lack of nonverbal cues and shared knowledge intensifies ambiguity. The study also highlights the difficulty artificial intelligence faces in handling semantic nuance, as machines often lack the inferential capacity to resolve ambiguity contextually. Thus, the paper underscores the importance of semantic awareness, meaning negotiation, and clarification strategies in managing ambiguity to support clear and adaptive communication.
References
Elsharif, W., Alzubaidi, M., She, J., & Agus, M. (2025). Visualizing ambiguity: Analyzing linguistic ambiguity resolution in text to image models. Computers, 14(1), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers14010019 MDPI
Koçak, Ö., Park, S., & Puranam, P. (2022). Ambiguity can compensate for semantic differences in human AI communication. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 6, Article 100200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100200 OUCI
Sultanova, U. (2025). Semantic analysis of English polysemous words. Pubmedia Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, 2(3), 7. https://doi.org/10.47134/jpbi.v2i3.1607 edu.pubmedia.id
Sitorus, A. O., & Lubis, L. (2025). Language ambiguity and emotional barriers: Semantic and psychological approaches in interpersonal communication. LITERACY: International Scientific Journals of Social, Education, Humanities, 4(2), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.56910/literacy.v4i2.2380 jurnal-stiepari.ac.id
Zhang, Y., Lu, Y., Liang, L., & Chen, B. (2020). The effect of semantic similarity on learning ambiguous words in a second language: An event related potential study. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1633. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01633 Frontiers
Deng, T., Schwieter, J. W., Lv, H., Zhang, Y., Yuan, J., & Wang, R. (2024). Cross language activation and semantic judgements of translation ambiguous words among Chinese–English bilinguals. International Journal of Bilingualism. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069241233388 SAGE Journals
Mennes, J., Pedersen, T., & Lefever, E. (2019). Approaching terminological ambiguity in cross disciplinary communication as a word sense induction task: A pilot study. Language Resources and Evaluation, 53, 889–917. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10579-019-09455-7
Chang, Y. N., & Lee, C. Y. (2018). Semantic ambiguity effects on traditional Chinese character naming: A corpus based approach. Behavior Research Methods, 50, 2292–2304. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-017-0993-4
Kurniasari, F. A., & Indriani, L. (2021). A study of EFL students’ perspective on ambiguity tolerance. English Learning Innovation, 2(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v2i1.14858
Lan, Q., Wen, D., Zhang, Z., Zeng, Q., Chen, X., Popovski, P., & Huang, K. (2021). What is semantic communication? A view on conveying meaning in the era of machine intelligence. arXiv Preprint. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2110.00196
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Indah Peronika Siahaan, Bernieke Anggita Ristia Damanik
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
