Language processing is a complex task requiring the integration of many different streams of information. Theorists have considered that working memory plays an important role in language processing and that a reduction in available working memory resources will reduce the efficacy of the system. In debate, however, is whether or not there exists a single pool of resources from which all language processes draw, or if the resource pool is functionally fractionated into modular subsections (e.g. syntactic processing, lexical processing etc.). This thesis seeks to investigate the role that working memory capacity plays in the utilisation of context to facilitate language processing. We experimentally manipulated the resources available to each participant using a titrated extrinsic memory load (a string of digits the length of which was tailored to each participant). Participants had to maintain the digits in memory while reading target sentences. Using this methodology we conducted six eyetracking experiments to investigate how a reduction of working memory resources influences the use of context in different language processes. Two experiments examined the resolution of syntactic ambiguities (reduced relative clauses); three examined the resolution of lexical ambiguities (balanced homonyms such as appendix); and one explored semantic predictability (It was a windy day so the boy went to the park to fly his… kite). General conclusions are hard to draw in the face of variable findings. All three experiment areas (syntactic, lexical, and semantic) show that memory loads interact with context, but there is little consistency as to where and how this occurs. In the syntactic experiments we see hints towards a general degradation in context use (supporting Single Resource Theories) whereas in the Lexical and Semantic experiments we see mixed support leaning in the direction of Multiple Resource Theories. Additionally, while individual experiments suggest that limiting working memory resources reduces the role that context plays in guiding both syntactic and lexical ambiguity resolution, more sophisticated statistical investigation indicates that these findings are not reliable. Taken together, the findings of all the experiments lead us to tentatively conclude that imposing limitations on working memory resources can influence the use of context in some language processes, but also that that influence is variant, subtle, and hard to statistically detect.

In this thesis we shall investigate the kinds of information which the Human Sentence Processing Mechanism employs during the resolution of local syntactic ambiguity in written texts. The thesis is in three parts. In Part I we consider some current models of syntactic ambiguity resolution. On the one hand, we consider the structural approaches, in which the processor considers only syntactic information when choosing between alternatives. On the other, we consider the interactive approaches, in which different kinds of information are brought to bear during the resolution process. In Part II, we describe a number of experiments which contrast the predictions of these two approaches. In particular, we investigate the processing of sentences which are locally ambiguous between a simple noun phrase analysis and a complex noun phrase analysis. Frazier (1979) predicts that the simple noun phrase analysis is chosen because it utilizes fewest phrasal nodes in its associated phrase marker. Crain and Steedman (1985), however, predict that the interpretation of the noun phrase is determined by referential factors, such as whether or not a unique referent can be identified for the noun phrase. The results support Crain and Steedman's interactive hypothesis. In Part III, we consider some theoretical issues concerning the timing of the processor's decisions. Crain and Steedman's original model is modified in the light of such considerations. We explore the implications of the modification for the status of syntax and semantics within our model of sentence comprehension. In the final chapter, we attempt to explain the existence of parsing preferences in sentences which are presented in isolation, and for which no explicit contextual information has been provided. We conclude that contextual considerations, such as the distinction between what is and what is not already known to the hearer, are of fundamental importance during the resolution of local syntactic ambiguity by the Human Sentence Processing Mechanism.

Thesis (M.A. (Translation studies and Lingustics)) --University of Limpopo, 2015 / The aim of this study is to investigate ambiguity in Xitsonga. There are many kinds of ambiguity, but the study mainly focuses on lexical and structural ambiguity. Lexical ambiguity occurs at word level and is caused by homonyms (homophones and homographs) and polysemes. Structural ambiguity occurs at sentence level. This kind of ambiguity manifests in the structure of the sentence itself. Data were collected through self-observation as a native Xitsonga speaker. Words and sentences with multiple meanings in Xitsonga were listed and tree diagrams were used to illustrate and disambiguate ambiguity. The study reveals that, like other languages, Xitsonga has words and sentences with double or many meanings. KEYWORDS AMBIGUITY, LEXICAL AMBIGUITY, STRUCTURAL AMBIGUITY, HOMONYM, HOMOPHONES, HOMOGRAPHS, POLYSEMES.

The first half of this report contains the concept of interpretation and its relationship with the written language. In addition, it proposes how the ambiguity of the language is one of the main problems for legal interpretation. The second half of this report establishes which components of the legal interpretation are, from a theoretical perspective –according to doctrine and practice– following jurisprudence, criteria and methods of interpretation allowed in Law. This part also proposes a route for the legal interpretation in Tax Law. The third part of this report contains the interpretation of two resolutions from the Tax Court following the described route. / En la primera parte del artículo se determina el concepto de interpretación y su relación con el lenguaje escrito. Asimismo, se plantea la ambigüedad como uno de los principales problemas que se presenta en la comprensión del lenguaje escrito, así como en la interpretación jurídica. En la segunda parte del artículo se plasman los componentes de la interpretación jurídica, desarrollando desde un punto de vista teórico-doctrinario y práctico-jurisprudencial, los criterios y métodos de interpretación admitidos por el Derecho. Asimismo, se propone un itinerario para la interpretación en el Derecho Tributario. En la tercera parte se desarrolla la interpretación de dos resoluciones del Tribunal Fiscal, utilizando el itinerario propuesto.