The former represents a choice between a finite number of known and meaningful context-dependent interpretations.
ðə fˈɔːɹmɚ ɹˌɛpɹᵻzˈɛnts ɐ tʃˈɔɪs bᵻtwˌiːn ɐ fˈaɪnaɪt nˈʌmbɚɹ ʌv nˈoʊn ænd mˈiːnɪŋfəl kˈɑːntɛkstdᵻpˈɛndənt ɪntˌɜːpɹɪtˈeɪʃənz.