An Exploration Into The Various Types Of Ambiguity In Arabic Language: A Pedagogical Study

Abstract

Hamzeh AlHarbi Department of English ,University Sains Malaysia Abstract : This paper tackles the issue of the ambiguity of the Arabic language. Moreover, it shows how it isdifferent from the English language. Ambiguity is a problematic issue especially in the field of interculturalcommunication. The misunderstanding may cause a breakdown of the relationship among communicators. Ithas been recognized that the learners of Arabic language as a foreign language encounter difficulties tocommunicate in Arabic language since the Arabic language structure is entirely different comparing to mostof the other languages. These differences among languages led learners to commit mistakes while theyinteract with the Arab native speakers. The Arabic language shares with the English language two types ofambiguity; the lexical and syntactic ambiguity. Interestingly, that the Arabic language has a different type ofambiguity, which is called diacritic ambiguity. Leaners of Arabic as foreign language consider this type ofambiguity is the most problematic one. Briefly, this paper will explore three types of Arabic ambiguity withexamples. To sum up, the Arabic foreign language learners find the diacritic ambiguity more problematicthan others.