Ambiguous Expressions Found in Essays Written by the English Students at IKIP Budi Utomo Malang

Abstract

Naturally, language has sound as form and meaning to provide comprehensive understanding in communication. Sound or form is a representation of surface structure, while meaning a representation of deep structure. Language meaning in Semantics belongs to one of the most important elements being analyzed nowadays because it is the language soul. One of the interesting topics which becomes a great concern that people are discussing is ambiguous meaning that is always found on such expressions as words, phrases, and sentences in language. This article exposes the research findings on ambiguous expressions as found in the English essays written by the English students of IKIP Budi Utomo Malang. The research is descriptive-qualitative one as a content analysis since it describes phenomena which naturally occurs. They are ambiguous expressions such as words, phrases, and sentences on the English essays written by the English students. The subject of the research is the fifth semester students of 2018/2019 that totals 45 students taking English Semantics.The sample was then taken based on the certain criteria, namely their origin representation and competences which finally became 12 students. Based on the data analysis, it was found that the ambiguous expressions found on the English students essays covers lexical and structural ambiguities. In lexical ambiguity, it was found that not all the students’ English essays are lexically and structurally ambiguous. It means that some of the esssays are lexically and structurally ambiguous.