LEXICAL AMBIGUITY IN FORBES NEWS HEADLINES

Nurjannah Nurjannah

doi:10.46576/dl.v2i2.6708

LEXICAL AMBIGUITY IN FORBES NEWS HEADLINES

Nurjannah Nurjannah

Abstract

This study investigates the presence and function of lexical ambiguity in Forbes News headlines. Lexical ambiguity occurs when a word or phrase has more than one possible meaning, often leading to multiple interpretations. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, this research examines a selection of headlines from forbes.com to identify ambiguous lexical items and analyze their contextual usage. The study highlights how lexical ambiguity serves both stylistic and rhetorical purposes in news headlines, such as attracting readers' attention, creating curiosity, and enhancing interpretative depth. Findings reveal that ambiguous words are frequently employed to compress complex information into concise formats, a necessity in headline writing. However, such ambiguity may also lead to misinterpretation or misunderstanding, particularly among readers unfamiliar with the broader context. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of lexical ambiguity for effective communication in journalism and media literacy.

Keywords

lexical ambiguity, semantics, news headline, Forbes, media language

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46576/dl.v2i2.6708