Jednoznan

Jednoznan is a term used in linguistics and philosophy to describe the property of a statement or expression that has a single, determinate interpretation within a given context. The concept is concerned with the clarity and precision of meaning, and it is often contrasted with ambiguity and vagueness. In everyday use, jednoznan language aims to minimize misinterpretation by ensuring that the intended meaning is the only one that can reasonably be inferred.

Etymology and scope: The word combines the Slavic prefix jedno-, meaning “one,” with a root related to knowledge or meaning. In this article, the term is treated as a technical notion referring to the degree of interpretive decisiveness a sentence, clause, or utterance provides under fixed linguistic and situational conditions. While languages differ in how often sentences become jednoznan, stylistic and syntactic choices, as well as context, strongly influence this property.

Practical use: In semantics and pragmatics, researchers analyze how word choice, syntax, and context contribute to univocal interpretation. In law, technical writing, and information design, jednoznan phrasing reduces ambiguity and lowers the risk of misinterpretation. In natural language processing, algorithms often strive to increase jednoznan-ness through disambiguation and explicit representations of meaning.

Examples: A jednoznan sentence might be: The report was released yesterday by the ministry. An ambiguous example is: The chicken is ready to eat, which can mean either the chicken is prepared to be eaten or someone is ready to eat the chicken. Disambiguation often involves adding qualifiers or restructuring the sentence.

Related concepts include unambiguity, explicitness, disambiguation, and polysemy. See also semantics, syntax, pragmatics, and information design.