This has nothing to do with order and everything to do with the chosen grammar of C and C++. You can have an ambiguous grammar in a language that puts the type

This has nothing to do with order and everything to do with the chosen grammar of C and C++. You can have an ambiguous grammar in a language that puts the type after. A * B could be ambiguous even if A is the identifier name and B the type. All arguments in the "Language Design" notes are of the same nature.