The most common entries in this report are where a relation has several meanings, and its parameters do not allow resolution to a single meaning.
Ambiguities can occur at many levels:
| Ambiguous Child |
| Many Meanings |
| Ambiguous Conjunction |
| Ambiguous Packed Noun Phrase |
| Ambiguous Collocation |
| Ambiguous Reference |
Ambiguous Child
This is a global ambiguity - it requires several statements for it to be established.
5.102 An emergency brake interlock system shall be provided to prevent the movement of the vehicle with the brake applied.
Comment – you could argue that the vehicle is frequently moving with the service brake applied, so it can’t be the service brake. Equally, the parking brake is typically applied when the engine is not running, and this interlock is unlikely to work in such circumstances.
It is a good example of what a person can do that the system can’t – create a rich local environment to resolve the issue. Easier to say which brake is meant.
Ambiguous Reference
An ambiguous reference can occur where a singular reference lands in a plural swamp.
Refer to the warning in Section 3.4.5
There may be no Section 3.4.5, or there may be no warning in Section 3.4.5 - these will be flagged as Invalid References.
There may be several warnings in Section 3.4.5 - this will be flagged as an Ambiguous Reference.
Refer to the warnings in Section 3.4.5
There may be only one warning in Section 3.4.5 - this will be flagged as Reverse Ambiguity.