Mccarthy university of massachusetts amherst abstract. Finally, in chapters 6 and 7 an exemplary implementation for ot syntax is presented. Manuscript, rutgers university and university of colorado at boulder. The original violation tableau format of prince and smolensky 2004 is illustrated. Goal of this tutorial this tutorial will provide an introduction to optimality theory, a model that proposes that the surface forms we find in language result from the interaction of competing constraints. Isbukun, a major dialect of bunun, is one of the austronesian languages spoken in taiwan. Kager s explanations are clear, and he does a god job walking you through the various topics. Kager 2001 in terms of categorical constraints on clashes and lapses. The standard phonological rule aims to encode grammatical generalizations in this format. In optimality theory, forms are marked with respect to some constraint if they violate it. In 2, we will discuss acquisitin research in the light f tw. Cambridge core phonetics and phonology optimality theory by rene kager.
Optimality theory is a development of generative grammar, a theory sharing its focus on formal description and quest for universal principles, on the basis of empirical research of linguistic typology and first language acquisition. As the familiar formulation in 1 states, the edge1 of every acat1 must coincide with the edge2 of some acat2. Alignment constraints 791 and edge1 and edge2 are the relevant edges. Alan prince is professor of linguistics and a member of the cognitive science center at rutgers university and is, along with paul smolensky, one of the founders of optimality theory. Many criticisms of ot are, according to its proponents, based on fundamental misunderstanding of how it works. Optimality theory and minimalism download optimality theory and minimalism ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Karttunen, rene kager, paul kiparsky, mike kenstowicz, ellis visch, andras kornai, akin. Roa, which was created by alan prince in 1993, is an electronic depository of work in, on, or about ot. In this theory, there are no derivations by ordered rules, but only wellformedness constraints which evaluate possible output representations. Rene kager s textbook is one of the rst to cover optimality theory ot, a declarative grammar framework that swiftly took over phonology afterit was introduced by prince, smolensky, and mccarthy in 1993. Having only done rule based phonology, i didnt find optimality theory to be at all intuitive at first. An optimality theoretic perspective on perfective imbrication in siswati 279 in the verb forms in the examples in 1 and 2, the morpheme ilis suffixed to the verb stems bon and val, followed by the vowel e. This paper establishes tight sufficient conditions for idempotency in classical optimality theory. Ot reclaims traditional grammars ability to express surface generalizations.
Mccarthy points out that some of the most significant work on ot is available for free on the rutgers optimality archive. Positional faithfulness and voicing assimilation in optimality theory. Stress assignment in polysyllabic words in levantine. Bradley university of california, davis abstract this article surveys research in spanish phonology from the perspective of optimality theory, a formal linguistic framework based on ranked and violable constraints. Chapters 3 through 5 provide a discussion of computational ot, its properties and empirical issues, and its fields of application. Appears in computational linguistics 262, june 2000. Notes on optimality theory college of the holy cross. Stress assignment in polysyllabic words in levantine arabic. Optimality theory ot shifts the focus of linguistic discovery from rules and derivations to constraints and rankings. It is claimed that optimality theory cannot account for phonological opacity see idsardi 2000, for example.
Many of these questions have been addressed in the phonological ot literature kager. Compiles the most important readings about optimality theory in phonology from some of the most prominent researchers. Markedness is built into grammars in the form of universal output constraints. Li 817 morphophonology and ot assignments answer key 1 assignment 1 assigned w2, due w3 1. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them.
For each chapter, mccarthy adds brief introductory notes and a list of study and research questions. The original reference for ot is prince and smolensky 1993. One common use of the optimality model is in optimal foraging theory. Optimality theory prince and smolensky 1993, mccarthy and prince 1993a,b turns markedness statements into the actual substance of grammars. Click download or read online button to optimality theory and minimalism book pdf for free now. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Optimality theory cambridge textbooks in linguistics. Researchers compared the amount of time a bird forages to the distance the bird travels to the foraging ground.
Optimality theory prince and smolensky 1993 offers an approach to linguistic theory that aims to combine an empirically adequate theory of markedness with a precise formal sense of what it means to be unmarked. Introduction in the score years since phonologist alan prince and cognitive scientist paul smolensky first detailed their optimality theory ot. As the basis for the approach, we propose to think of correspondence as a function. About this document this article is a draft of my chapter on markedness and faithfulness constraints in the blackwells companion to phonology chapter 74. Kager 1999 gives an entrylevel introduction to ot, mccarthy 2001 surveys.
Model theory and the content of ot constraints christopher potts geo. Optimality theory, in common with much recent work, shifts the burden from the theory of. Optimality theory has attracted substantial amounts of criticism, most of which is directed at its application to phonology rather than syntax or other fields. Optimality theory ot is a wideemployed theoretical framework used in contemporary linguistics. Optimality theory and ethical decision making1 steve and monica parker sil, papua new guinea branch.
I would also like to thank my other committee member, keith langston. Ot can be seen as an ot version of the variable rule format. A surface form is optimal if it incurs the least serious violations of a set of constraints, taking into account their hierarchical ranking. This is an introduction to optimality theory, whose central idea is that surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing constraints. Optimality theory by rene kager, 1999 online research. This article surveys the motivations for ot, its core principles, and the basics of analysis. Optimality theory in phonology california institute of. Li 817 morphophonology and ot assignments answer key n. A reader is a collection of readings on this important new theory by leading figures in the field, including a phonology. Your book is focused on oldfashioned rewrite rules.
Optimality theory has drawn a good deal of criticism, most of which is directed at its application to phonology rather than syntax or other fields. Pay particular attention to the critiques of optimality theory. An idempotent phonological grammar maps phonotactically licit forms faithfully to themselves. It espouses a serialist view of morphology that is rejected by most current phonologists. I truly would not be on the path on which i now find myself without your guidance. The prevailing nonsequential approach to phonology, the optimality theory, ot, is based not on rewrite rules but on constraints. For example, the foraging behavior in starlings can be predicted using an optimality model, specifically a marginal value theorem model. Theory, in which markedness has no substantive status in the grammar, but functions as an external system of annotations on parameter values, evaluating a grammars complexity. Optimality theory is a general model of how grammars are structured.
Download pdf optimality theory and minimalism free. The emergence of the unmarked optimality in prosodic. Ot reclaims traditional grammars ability to express surface generalizations syl. This constitutes a viable alternative to the mainstream view on phonological systems, optimality theory 1, which require the presence of innate linguistically specific constraints in the genome to account for universal tendencies an example of constraint is the complex constraint which states. Though originally developed from generative phonology, the principles of optimality theory have also been applied in studies of syntax. It is a theory that has been most widely accepted in the realm of phonology, but has implications for all areas of linguistics. Optimality theory jhu computer science johns hopkins university.
These notes explain the procedures and assumptions behind a valuable technique using in studying adaptation called optimality theory. Constraint interaction in generative grammar, 19932004. Chapter 1 starts with an introduction of the main concepts of optimality theory. Therefore this book is not limited in its empirical scope to phonological phenomena, but it also contains chapters on the leamability of ot granunars chapter 7 and extensions to syntax chapter 8. Optimality theory, telling me to read the kager book, and talking through so many issues about so many different topics and so many different papers. Optimality theory an introduction publish your master. The emergence of the unmarked optimality in prosodic morphology. The fundamental idea behind ot is that surface forms of language. A reader is a collection of readings on this important new theory by leading figures in the field, including a lengthy excerpt from prince and smolenskys neverbeforepublished optimality theory. Optimality theory presented by ashour abdulaziz, eric dodson, jessica hanson, and teresa li overview introduction how to interpret ot historical development theory application pros and cons optimality theory central idea. Building on tesar, these conditions are derived in two steps. Rene kagers textbook is one of the first to cover optimality theory ot, a declarative grammar framework that swiftly took over phonology after it was introduced. This paper proposes an optimality theoretic analysis of stress assignment in levantine arabic. Optimality theory, basically applied in phonology, has been used as theoretical framework in other fields e.
Optimality theory ot has originally been developed for dealing with. First, idempotency is shown to follow from a general formal condition on the faithfulness constraints. The proposed hierarchy incorporates two constraints, namely extendedlapser, which restricts stress to one of the last three syllables, and alignleft, which demands that the left edge of the prosodic word be aligned with a foot. No prior knowledge of ot is required, though it is assumed that all participants are familiar with the goals. This is an introduction to optimality theory, whose central idea i. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Pdf optimality theory and phonological acquisition researchgate.
It also addresses some frequently asked questions about this theory and offers suggestions. I used this a few years back in a graduate level phonology course. Surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing demands or constraints. However, ot radically differs from earlier generative models in various ways. Wellformedness of outputs is taken to be a relative notion. However, ot radically differs from earlier generative models in.
The output selected by the grammar is the one which violates the smallest number of constraints. Ren kager s textbook is one of the first to cover optimality theory ot, a declarative grammar flamework that swiftly took over phonology after it was introduced by prince, smolensky, and. Optimality theory thisisanintroductiontooptimalitytheory,thecentralideaofwhich isthatsurfaceformsoflanguagere. He has published in journals such as linguistic inquiry, science, cognition, and critical inquiry.
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