Potential Ambiguity
The term referent may sometimes be ambiguous in that it can mean the thing that refers, or the thing which is referred to. In most fields, however, it usually has the second meaning – the thing to which another thing refers.
Definition of REFERENT
- one that refers or is referred to; especially : the thing that a symbol (as a word or sign) stands for. Merriam Webster
See also Wiktionary:referent and the Wikipedia article reference.
Read more about this topic: Referent
Famous quotes containing the words potential and/or ambiguity:
“There is a potential 4-6 percentage point net gain for the President [George Bush] by replacing Dan Quayle on the ticket with someone of neutral stature.”
—Mary Matalin, U.S. Republican political advisor, author, and James Carville b. 1946, U.S. Democratic political advisor, author. All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for President, p. 205, Random House (1994)
“Legends of prediction are common throughout the whole Household of Man. Gods speak, spirits speak, computers speak. Oracular ambiguity or statistical probability provides loopholes, and discrepancies are expunged by Faith.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929)