Onduidelijks

Onduidelijks is a term used in Dutch-language linguistics and literary studies to refer to elements of discourse that carry ambiguity or lack of clarity in meaning. The concept helps describe instances where interpretation can vary depending on syntax, context, or the reader’s perspective, rather than reflecting a single, unambiguous reading.

Etymology and usage: The word is built from onduidelijk (unclear) with the suffix -s, a construction some scholars use to denote a category or class of items rather than a single occurrence. In this sense, onduidelijks can describe a type of linguistic or narrative feature that tends to invite multiple interpretations.

In practice, onduidelijks covers lexical ambiguity, syntactic ambiguity, and pragmatics-driven ambiguity that arises from context. For example, the Dutch sentence "De student zag de professor met de verrekijker" can be onduidelijks, since it is unclear whether "met de verrekijker" modifies "de student" or "de professor." It can also apply to ambiguous referents or unclear discourse structure that leaves readers unsure about who is responsible for an action.

Relation to related terms: It is distinct from onduidelijk (not clear) and from onduidelijkheid (ambiguity or lack of clarity) in that onduidelijks tends to describe a class of unclear elements or phenomena rather than a single instance of unclear expression.

In use: The term appears in Dutch academic prose, linguistics articles, and some media-studies discussions about clarity in writing, translation, and information design. See also ambiguity, semantics, and pragmatics for broader context.