meaning ambiguity?

The meaning you give is the only one I see that makes sense.

Thank you for your reply.
I am wondering if the second meaning is Mary said that she successfully communicate with the clients who use email.

No, via means by means of, or using, or by way of. It does not mean who use. Via here has to refer to Mary's use of email.

If you replaced via with using in the original sentence you could have the potential for ambiguity, in that clients using email could mean clients who use email.

Your explanation is clear.Thank you blue jay:)

AnonymousI am not sure what the second meaning is.

Only a grammar-robot would detect it, but one other meaning is that Mary announced the clients via email. That is, she announced, for example, the list of names of those who were chosen to be clients. The people she announced this to were all (the people) that she has (ever) successfully communicated with.

CalifJim it's just possible theoretically.

I had to work at that, but you are right; it's possible, theoretically.

CalifJimIt's absurd to derive this meaning from that sentence

I agree.

CalifJimOnly a grammar-robot would detect it, but one other meaning is that Mary announced the clients via email. That is, she announced, for example, the list of names of those who were chosen to be clients. The people she announced this to were all (the people) that she has (ever) successfully communicated with.

You're right. When I looked at it to start wit

I once read that a team of AI researchers had some of their software analyze a sentence of about 20 words taken from a newspaper, and it came up with 5 different possible interpretations. It's really surprising how many different meanings any given sentence can have if you take every theoretical possibility. So Searle was right when he said that language is notorious for underspecifying reality.

By the way, CJ, are you the grammar-robot that detected the other meaning, or do you have a grammar-robot available to you?