Disambiguation is necessary to know what a word like "candle" refers to.
The verb disambiguate is used in the field of linguistics with reference to the development of the procedures necessary so that an expression or term is no longer ambiguous . The idea of ambiguity, in this framework, refers to the characteristic of that which can be understood in different ways , which usually causes confusion.
Make it more understandable
Disambiguating a phrase or text, therefore, involves taking some action so that the ambiguity is lost and the meaning of the discourse is easier to understand. This is usually accomplished with some clarification or explanation .
Suppose a child says: "My father makes candles." Given that the idea of a candle can name the paraffin or wax product that is used for lighting or the cloth that is tied to a boat so that the wind propels the movement of the ship, it is necessary to disambiguate the comment to know exactly what it refers to. dedicates the boy's father.
On the Internet
Disambiguation is a resource used by Wikipedia . When a word can refer to different things, the virtual encyclopedia presents a disambiguation page where each meaning is differentiated.
When we search for a word on Wikipedia, even one that may seem easy to understand, the site usually presents us with a first page with the different options. Let's think about
the term revolution : beyond its general definition, Wikipedia offers us a large number of articles, grouped in categories such as "agricultural revolutions", "industrial and technical", "social and political", etc.
This disambiguation is necessary not only to distinguish the various types of revolutions that exist, but also the names given to the dozens that have taken place in the history of humanity and that have been documented.
In computational linguistics
In computational linguistics , on the other hand, disambiguation is used when the meaning of a word in a context must be determined . Natural language processing is needed to identify this meaning .
If a statement is automatically interpreted by a system , the correct disambiguation of the words is achieved. On the other hand, if the grammatical structure admits more than one interpretation, it can cause confusion about the meaning. This procedure can be extremely complex for an automated system, as it is even for us.
We must not forget that language is made up of different resources and elements, spoken words, gestures, micro-expressions, voice and signs, among others. And to all this we must add the personal, social and global context, the characteristics of the time and the emotional state, all issues to which we must be attentive when someone speaks to us or expresses themselves through a mass media. Even today it is not possible for a computer to interpret all this with our skill.
Emojis and disambiguation
On the Internet , it is common for ideograms or drawings to be used to disambiguate a message. Emojis , for example, sometimes fulfill this function.
Emojis can be used to disambiguate a message by providing emotional information.
One of the functions of emojis is to indicate to the receiver the state of mind of the sender with the mere use of an image: a smiling face can indicate happiness, as well as one crying, sadness or frustration. Precisely, given that we pointed out above that communication includes the emotional aspect of people, emojis can also serve to disambiguate a message.
Thanks to the inclusion of this aspect, which cannot be appreciated through a poorly detailed exchange of written words, any sentence can acquire a depth comparable to what it would have in a face-to-face conversation. A response as simple as "I'm fine" can have an ambiguous meaning if said ironically , but it is enough to accompany it with the appropriate emoji to clarify any doubts.