Note the intricate carvings of flowers and climbing plants...

English translation: ambiguous, but probably refers to carvings of both

15:36 Aug 20, 2017
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Marketing - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / tourism/destination description
English term or phrase: Note the intricate carvings of flowers and climbing plants...
"Note the intricate carvings of flowers and climbing plants on the outer layer of the walkway."

Description of Sambisari Temple. Is this:
1. [carvings of] [flowers AND climbing plants]
or
2. [carvings of flowers] [and climbing plants]?

My instinct says 1, if for no other reason than that I couldn't really visualize carvings of climbing plants. But I just can't shake the feeling that this sentence could be read two ways.
Lincoln Hui
Hong Kong
Local time: 16:18
Selected answer:ambiguous, but probably refers to carvings of both
Explanation:
It is certainly ambiguous, as you indicate, but I think it probably means that the climbing plants, as well as the flowers, are carved. That is what I immediately understood on reading it. I see nothing implausible in carvings of climbing plants, provided that the space on which they are carved is high enough to show them. But in any case, I have looked at pictures of the temple and its surroundings and can see no sign of any actual climbing plants, which would require a high wall or some kind of trellis. Here is a picture:
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0a/d7/50/54/...
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 09:18


SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +4ambiguous, but probably refers to carvings of both
Charles Davis


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
note the intricate carvings of flowers and climbing plants...
ambiguous, but probably refers to carvings of both


Explanation:
It is certainly ambiguous, as you indicate, but I think it probably means that the climbing plants, as well as the flowers, are carved. That is what I immediately understood on reading it. I see nothing implausible in carvings of climbing plants, provided that the space on which they are carved is high enough to show them. But in any case, I have looked at pictures of the temple and its surroundings and can see no sign of any actual climbing plants, which would require a high wall or some kind of trellis. Here is a picture:
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0a/d7/50/54/...

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 09:18
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 572

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rachel Fell: I don't see any ambiguity, as decoration with carved flowers and climbing plants isn't exactly unusual
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Rachel :) No, it isn't, but in theory it could mean "Note the intricate carvings of flowers and note also the climbing plants", though as I've said I don't think most people would read it that way.

agree  writeaway: agree with Rachel. I also don't see any ambiguity at all. /no. imo there is always a danger of 'over-reading' or reading too much into something basically straightforward. And I think this is one of those cases.
5 hrs
  -> Thanks! // There's a danger of choosing the wrong reading, but there can never be a 'danger' in considering all possible readings. On the contrary, there's an obvious danger in failing to do so, since occasionally unlikely readings are right.

agree  Tina Vonhof (X): It says carvings of 'carvings of flowers and climbing plants'. If the plants were separate, it would say 'carvings of flowers and (also) THE climbing plants'. But why would climbing plants be noteworthy other than because they are part of the carvings.
2 days 34 mins
  -> Thanks, Tina :) A careful writer would have added another article, but some writers are not careful. If real, the climbing plants might be spectacular. My only point here is that although one reading is almost certainly right, the other is not impossible.

agree  acetran
17 days
  -> Thanks, acetran :)
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