I was walking back from lunch with my coworkers one day, when a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle drove by. We all gawked at the restored classic car as it passed, and then one coworker exclaimed, “that car is sick!” This statement could be considered both vague or ambiguous, depending on who would have overheard the remark. A vague sentence refers to a statement that can have multiple meanings created by the listener. Ambiguous sentences are more defined. Even though an ambiguous sentence may have more than one meaning, the options are limited.
A car enthusiast would most likely consider this an ambiguous meaning. Usually when the word “sick” is used in this context, one would most likely infer that the person who made the remark is complimenting the car. There can only be a few options here, and the connotation would be considered a positive comment.
However, a person who is not very familiar with automobiles may not understand the context of this sentence. The word “sick” may be used in both a positive or a negative aspect. To a non-enthusiast, his or her eyes may just see a 43 year old clunker passing by and perceive it as a pile of junk that needs to be taken off the road. Or, this person may understand that today’s meaning of “sick” could be used in many different ways, including slang terminology. In this case, the sentence would be considered vague because the possibilities of how it could be understood are not limited.
I can see what you mean when you said, "That car is sick!" is vague/ambiguous. Like you said, it can be seen negatively or positively. You said that they were probably complimenting the car. On the negative side, I remember someone using the same word but in a negative way. I remember watching a scary gory movie and there was a disturbing scene. Someone said, "That is so sick!" I'm pretty sure they thought it was disgusting sick because he said "ew" right after. But if he thought of it in a positive way (like my cousin would), he probably thought it looked cool but still used "sick." My cousin would clear it up and say it's "awesome sick." It's confusing sometimes. hahaha
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