amphíbolos

Amíbolos, or amphibolia, is a rhetorical phenomenon in which a sentence or phrase can be interpreted in more than one way because of its grammatical structure. The ambiguity arises from syntax rather than from the vocabulary’s meaning, making different readings equally plausible. The term derives from Greek, commonly understood as meaning ambiguous or doubly interpretable.

In classical rhetoric, amíbolos can be used deliberately as a stylistic device to create effect, suspense, or humor. It can also function as a logical fallacy when the ambiguity is exploited to mislead, obscure responsibility, or evade limits—an issue of concern in legal, political, and argumentative writing. Distinguishing between an intentional, discretionary use of ambiguity and a deceptive or careless construction depends on context and authorial purpose.

Examples illustrate how the same sentence structure can yield different interpretations. For instance: “I saw the man with the telescope.” One reading attaches the telescope to the observer, another to the man being observed. Another example is: “The committee approved the bill after the session.” The timing of approval versus the session’s end can be read in more than one way, depending on syntactic attachment.

Historical and scholarly context: the concept traces to ancient Greek rhetoric, with Aristotle and later medieval rhetoricians analyzing amphibolia as a recognizable category of ambiguity. In modern linguistics and critical reading, amíbolos remains a standard warning against syntactic ambiguity, emphasizing the need for clear modifier placement, consistent attachment, and explicit relative clauses to avoid misinterpretation.