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C. Surface and Deep Structure
According to An Introductory English Grammar book, each sentence has deep structure and surface structure. Deep structure is an abstract grammatical
structure that relates to its meaning. Meanwhile, surface structure relates to the pronunciation of the sentence.
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For example: the shooting of Oswald was terrible. Its sentence is able to have two different interpretation meanings. It
means that, the sentence the shooting of Oswald was terrible has different deep structure but having same surface structure.
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The shooting of Oswald was terrible Surface structure Possible meanings:
The 1
st
meaning: Someone not specified shot Oswald Deep structure The 2
nd
meaning: Oswald shot someone not specified Deep structure
D. Structural Ambiguity
Structural ambiguity appears when the words can be grouped in more than one way. A result of different structure is called structural ambiguity or
syntactic ambiguity or grammatical ambiguity. Having more than one interpretation meanings are possible because the rules of syntax allow
different structure for the same linear order of words. For instance: old man
and woman. This phrase has two interpretation meanings, as in:
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Norman C. Stageberg Ralph M. Goodman, op.cit., p.308, 311
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Danny D. Steinberg, dkk, op.cit., p.363
17
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Diagram 1 Diagram 2
Based on diagrams above, 1 old modifies man and 2 old modifies both of man and woman.
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In other words, Structural ambiguity is also known when the sentence has two different underlying interpretations, which is represented
differently in deep structure. For instance: Annie bumped into a man with an umbrella. This sentence has two underlying interpretation meanings, as
illustrated in diagrams below. Diagram 1
Diagram 2
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Victoria Fromkin, dkk, An Introduction Language 9
th
Ed. International Ed., Canada: Wadsworth, 2011, p.80-81 and p.110
18
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Based on diagram above, 1 [Annie bumped [into a man] with an umbrella] and 2 [Annie bumped into] [a man with an umbrella].
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E. X-bar Theory
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