Other types of ambiguity 1. Mixed ambiguity- 123docz.net

The term mixed ambiguity or multiple ambiguity (as proposed by Naskin 1990 and Attardo 1994) refers to that involving two or more subsets of ambiguity (structural, lexical, phonological elements or language in use) or the combination of all of these subsets.

Joke (58) below is considered to have humorous stimuli built on mixed ambiguity:

(58) A religious and charitable woman noticed a very down-and-out sort of man standing at the corner of the street near her residence.

One morning she took compassion to him, pressed a dollar into his hand and whispered: “Never despair.”

Next time she saw him he stopped her and handed her nine dollars.

“What does this mean?” she asked.

“It means, ma‟am,” said the man, “that Never Despair won at 8 to 1.”

(Misztal, 1990:611)

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In this joke, the phrase “never despair” is clearly used by the woman as a reduced sentence, which conveys her consolation and consideration for the poor man. Contrary to the intended meaning of the woman, the man, who turns out to be a bookie, relates “never despair” to the proper name of a specific racing horse. In other words, the ambiguous phrase is used structurally on the first recording and perceived lexically on the second one, which makes up the sophistication as well as the surprise of joke (58).

Another example of mixed-ambiguity-based jokes is given in (59):

(59) Mother: “Mary, will you run across the street and see how old Mrs. Smith is today?”

After a few minutes, Mary: “Mother! Mrs. Smith says it‟s none of your business how old she is today.”

Many linguists would argue that joke (59) makes use of structural jokes as the phrase “how old Mrs. Smith is,” in the intended question by the mother, has the actual structure of “how + somebody + be”, aiming at the state of health of the person being involved. It is easier to analyze the diagram of this:

how old Mrs. Smith is question word modifier + head noun Verb

By contrast, the same question is perceived in a different way by the baby girl as:

how old Mrs. Smith is question word adjective Subject be to mean the old lady‟s age.

On the other hand, it is not vague to see the double meanings of the lexis “Old” in joke (59), which either means “of a particular age” or “a term of affection”, thus, making the baby girl confused. Henceforth, joke (59) can also be considered to exploit lexical ambiguity, homonymous ambiguity to be more specific. That is to prove, joke (59) (and the likes) should be categorized as a mixed-ambiguity-based one.

3.2.5.2. Idiom and complex language

Idiom and complex use of language can also cause confusion in understanding and interpreting a message, especially when the interlocutors are small and/or using the language not as their mother tongue. This is in evidence in joke (60) below:

(60) Next-door neighbor, to a small boy: “Come again, Johnny. We‟d like to see more of you.”

Johnny: “But there isn‟t any more of me.”

(Hoke: 1965:92) Joke (60) actually exploits the use of idiomatic expression “see more of you” to mean “to see you more often”. Misunderstanding the actual meaning of the idiom, Johnny interprets it in a literal sense that the neighbor wants to see “greater parts of his body”, consequently, he refuses the request by asserting that the neighbor has seen him in full already.

Some other cases of this type of ambiguity used in verbal jokes can be seen through:

(61) “I have changed my mind.”

“Thank Heavens. Does it work any better now?”

(Misztal, 1990:810) (62) Teacher: “So, who knows who Anne Boleyn was?”

Johnny: “I do, Sir! She was a pressing iron.”

Teacher: “She was a what?”

Johnny: “She was an iron.”

Teacher: “Where did you get this idea from, Johnny?”

Johnny: “Well, Sir, it says right here in our history book: „After divorcing Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII pressed his suit with Anne Boleyn.”

(63) “When is a car not a car?”

“When it turns into a garage.”

(Nash, 1985:18) In these jokes, the use of to change one’s mind (to alter one‟s decision or opinion), to press one’s suit with somebody (to propose marriage to somebody) and to turn into (to change from one condition or state to another one) are taken advantage of to convey laughter.

Other types of ambiguity 1. Mixed ambiguity

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