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Original Research

GLOBAL AMBIGUITY RESOLUTION IN SENTENCE PROCESSING OF STATE UNIVERSITY FACULTY IN NORTHERN PHILIPPINES

Dr. ROMEL L. TAGUMASI

Vol 18, No 03 ( 2023 )   |  DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/NZFGC   |   Author Affiliation: Associate Professor, Faculty Member, Cagayan State University, Andrews Campus, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines.   |   Licensing: CC 4.0   |   Pg no: 1093-1109   |   Published on: 28-03-2023

Abstract

Generally, this study aimed at determining the syntactic ambiguity resolution of faculty of Cagayan State University-Andrews campus. It profiled the faculty and determined their preferred interpretations of globally ambiguous sentences. The descriptive method, particularly survey and correlation techniques were used in this study. Through a questionnaire and a set of sentences flashed through PowerPoint, data were collected on the profile of faculty and their interpretations of ambiguous sentences. Results revealed that faculty interpreted sentences with coordinated clauses or noun phrases as something that have an ellipsis. Sentences with adverbial phrases or clauses indicate that the respondents prefer to attach the adverbial clause to the lower verb or nearer verb. They prefer to attach the prepositional phrase to the verb in interpreting sentences with prepositional phrases in which the PP is connected to the noun or to the verb. They prefer to attach the non-finite clause because of the structural biases that are already in their minds. They also followed the rule on modifying a noun- that the nearest/nearer noun should be the one being modified. In interpreting negative sentences, they prefer that with fewest syntactic nodes consistent with the rules of the language. The faculty supplied the ellipses in the manner by which few words are provided. In sentences with relative clauses, there are more faculty who preferred to attach the relative clause to the first NP than the closest one. As regards the difference in the interpretations of faculty on sentences under global ambiguity, the data revealed that regardless of sex, age, and years in teaching, the interpretations of faculty of globally ambiguous sentences have no significant difference. However, college affiliation of and discipline taught by the faculty make their interpretation of these sentences different. Based on the findings of the study, it is concluded that CSU faculty evidently explore the meaning of globally ambiguous sentence with frequent reference to semantics in their interpretation of sentences. Because of their failure to provide non-ambiguous interpretations to some sentences, it is deduced that ambiguity is also inherent in Filipino as a language.


Keywords

Global Ambiguity, Sentence Parsing, Structural Ambiguity, Global Ambiguity Resolution