amphibología

Amphibología is a rhetorical device that results in ambiguity due to the grammatical structure of a sentence rather than the meaning of the words themselves. This means a phrase or sentence can be interpreted in more than one way because of how it is constructed. It is distinct from amphibology in semantics, which deals with words that have multiple meanings. Amphibología is a syntactic ambiguity.

A classic example is the sentence "I saw the man on the hill with a telescope." This sentence is amphibological because it is unclear whether the man has the telescope, or if the telescope was used by the speaker to see the man. Another common example is "Flying planes can be dangerous." This could mean that the act of flying planes is dangerous, or that planes that are flying are dangerous.

The ambiguity in amphibología often arises from the placement of modifiers or the use of ambiguous prepositions and conjunctions. It can be intentional for humorous or poetic effect, or unintentional, leading to confusion or misinterpretation. Resolving amphibología typically involves rephrasing the sentence to make the intended meaning clear. This often involves rearranging words, adding clarifying words, or using punctuation more effectively. In legal or technical writing, amphibología is generally avoided to ensure clarity and precision.