EXAMINATION OF AMBIGUITY IN PUNCH NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

ABSTRACT Ambiguity is an attention-grabbing linguistic trend which has received a lot of attention and will continue to receive such as long as human communication remains viable. In language, ambiguity simply means double or multiple interpretations. This may be as a result of the presence of a word with polysemous meanings in a sentence (lexical ambiguity) or a group of words in the sentence (structural ambiguity). The aim of this study is to examine the nature of ambiguous headlines in Punch Newspaper from 2024 to 2025. The objectives of the study are to Identify ambiguous headlines published in Punch Newspaper between 2024 and 2025 Examine how often ambiguity appears in selected headlines during the study period. Outline the causes of ambiguity in headlines How frequently does ambiguity occur in punch Newspaper headlines between 2024 and 2025? What types of ambiguity can be identified in punch Newspaper headlines published between 2024 and 2025? The population of this study consists of all newspaper headlines published by Punch Newspaper. This includes both print and digital editions. Punch Newspaper was selected due to its high readership, national reputation, and consistent publication record. A purposive sampling technique was used to select headlines that demonstrated ambiguity. The sample included between 2024 and 2025 headlines from Punch Newspaper, focusing on those found on front pages and primary news sections such as politics, national issues, economy, and crime. The study concludes that ambiguity remains a defining feature of Nigerian newspaper headlines, particularly in Punch Newspaper. Ambiguous headlines serve a dual function: they reflect the stylistic constraints of journalistic writing brevity, compression, and drama while also functioning as a deliberate strategy to attract readership and manage sensitive political contexts.