The focus is on phonology, which is where the theory thus far has had its greatest impact. Introduction in the score years since phonologist alan prince and cognitive scientist paul smolensky first detailed their optimality theory ot. Optimality theory cambridge textbooks in linguistics. A proposal for the treatment of noun incorporation and similar phenomena. Mccarthy, university of massachusetts, amherst ot does not need to permanently influence linguistic theory. If you take option c, it can help you later on with option g. Download pdf optimality theory and minimalism free. Portions of chapters 2, 3, 6, and 7 appeared in earlier form as chapter 12 of linguistics. This article surveys the motivations for ot, its core principles, and the basics of analysis. A reader is a collection of readings on this important new theory by leading figures in the field, including a phonology.
Optimality theory can be seen as a framework that is mounted upon traditional linguistic theories, therefore it is compatible with representations from a variety of linguistic approaches. The emergence of the unmarked optimality in prosodic morphology. Mccarthy points out that some of the most significant work on ot is available for free on the rutgers optimality archive. Idempotency in optimality theory 1 journal of linguistics. Li 817 morphophonology and ot assignments answer key 1 assignment 1 assigned w2, due w3. First, idempotency is shown to follow from a general formal condition on the faithfulness constraints. Karttunen, rene kager, paul kiparsky, mike kenstowicz, ellis visch, andras kornai, akin. Contrast, neutralization, and lexicon optimization as we have mentioned, no specific input is required for an output due to rob, and thus there are potentially multiple inputs for a single output. Stress assignment in polysyllabic words in levantine. Having only done rule based phonology, i didnt find optimality theory to be at all intuitive at first. The book is intended to satisfy the needs of students and professional researchers interested in pragmatics and optimality theory, and will be of particular interest to those exploring the interfaces of formal pragmatics with grammar, semantics, philosophy of language, information theory and cognitive psychology. Finally, in chapters 6 and 7 an exemplary implementation for ot syntax is presented.
Optimality theory an introduction patrick schmitz term paper advanced seminar english language and literature studies linguistics publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay. Optimality theory, in common with much recent work, shifts the burden from the theory of. Models integrating notions borrowed from cognitive sci. Cambridge core phonetics and phonology optimality theory by rene kager. Pullum university of california, santa cruz we develop an extensible description logic for stating the content of optimalitytheoretic constraints in phonology, and specify a class of structures for interpreting it. It also addresses some frequently asked questions about this theory and offers suggestions. Optimality theory ot is a wideemployed theoretical framework used in contemporary linguistics. 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. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Chapters 3 through 5 provide a discussion of computational ot, its properties and empirical issues, and its fields of application. Optimality theory an introduction publish your masters. Optimality theory by rene kager, 1999 online research.
Optimality theory thisisanintroductiontooptimalitytheory,thecentralideaofwhich isthatsurfaceformsoflanguagere. Optimality theory has transformed the field of linguistics more than almost any other development of the past halfcentury, and prince and smolensky started it all. The central idea of optimality theory ot is that surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing demands or constraints. Nov 01, 2000 in the preface to this wonderful book, rent5 kager writes that its goal is to present an introduction to optimality theory ot prince and smolensky, 1993, inter al. For each chapter, mccarthy adds brief introductory notes and. Constraint interaction in generative grammar compiles the most important readings about optimality theory in phonology from some of the most. Optimality theory jhu computer science johns hopkins university. Pay particular attention to the critiques of optimality theory. Model theory and the content of ot constraints christopher potts geo. Kager does so in a clear, thorough and conscientious fashion.
Optimality theory by rene kager cambridge university press. Chapter 1 starts with an introduction of the main concepts of optimality theory. Optimality theory in linguistics is the theory that surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing constraints. 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. Introduction1 a central hypothesis of rulebased generative phonology is that rules have exclusive access to representations that occur in the stage of the. Jan 01, 2004 optimality theory has transformed the field of linguistics more than almost any other development of the past halfcentury, and prince and smolensky started it all. This paper establishes tight sufficient conditions for idempotency in classical optimality theory. Markedness is built into grammars in the form of universal output constraints.
In optimality theory, forms are marked with respect to some constraint if they violate it. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading optimality theory cambridge textbooks in. A challenge to any theory of phonology is to reconcile two. Constraints in phonological acquisition, edited by rene kager, joe. 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. 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. Archangeli 1997, tesar, grimshaw, and prince 1999, kager 1999. 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. Optimality theory and minimalism download optimality theory and minimalism ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Optimality theory in phonology is a textbook for an advancedlevel phonology course that contains excerpts from 33 important articles and manuscripts on optimality theory ot. 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.
At appropriate points, kager distinguishes the different claims made by optimality theory and derivational theories. 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. A basic understanding of phonology and earlier rulebased derivational theories is assumed. A central hypothesis of rulebased generative phonology is that rules have exclusive access to. Mccarthy university of massachusetts amherst abstract. Kager 1999 gives an entrylevel introduction to ot, mccarthy 2001 surveys. Click download or read online button to get a formal theory of vowel coalescence book now. The original reference for ot is prince and smolensky 1993. Positional faithfulness and voicing assimilation in optimality theory. Optimality theory ot shifts the focus of linguistic discovery from rules and derivations to constraints and rankings.
The fundamental idea behind ot is that surface forms of language. In derivational phonology, effects that are inexplicable at the surface. Pullum university of california, santa cruz we develop an extensible description logic for stating the content of optimality theoretic constraints in phonology, and specify a class of structures for interpreting it. Optimality theory cambridge textbooks in linguistics kindle edition by kager, rene. Many criticisms of ot are, according to its proponents, based on fundamental misunderstanding of how it works. As the familiar formulation in 1 states, the edge1 of every acat1 must coincide with the edge2 of some acat2. 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.
This is an introduction to optimality theory, whose central idea i. Optimality theory has attracted substantial amounts of criticism, most of which is directed at its application to phonology rather than syntax or other fields. The basic formal element of the theory is the constraint. Optimality theory confronts these issues directly, designing its basic architecture to deal with them. This is an introduction to optimality theory, whose central idea is that surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing constraints. Prince and smolensky 1993 introduced optimality theory ot as a. Beyond their theoretical application, ot and ot syntax bear a substantial potential for the field of computational linguistics. I used this a few years back in a graduate level phonology course. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Advantages and shortcomings of these theories will be discussed. Optimality theory is a general model of how grammars are structured. Surface opacity of metrical structure in optimality theory. It is claimed that optimality theory cannot account for phonological opacity see idsardi 2000, for example.
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. Roa, which was created by alan prince in 1993, is an electronic depository of work in, on, or about ot. These notes explain the procedures and assumptions behind a valuable technique using in studying adaptation called optimality theory. Alignment constraints 791 and edge1 and edge2 are the relevant edges. 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. 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. Manuscript, rutgers university and university of colorado at boulder. Building on tesar, these conditions are derived in two steps. Surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing demands or constraints. Surface opacity of metrical structure in optimality theory rutgers. A central hypothesis of rule based generative phonology is that rules have exclusive access to.
Underlying representation in optimality theory 379 2. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Optimality theory prince and smolensky 1993, mccarthy and prince 1993a,b turns markedness statements into the actual substance of grammars. Optimality theory, basically applied in phonology, has been used as theoretical framework in other fields e. A surface form is optimal if it incurs the least serious violations of a set of constraints, taking into account their hierarchical ranking. Ot reclaims traditional grammars ability to express surface generalizations. Given the architecture of generative phonology, which distinguishes between underlying lexical forms and. 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.
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. Reviewed by sam hellmuth, university of york doing optimality theory is intended to equip student and more advanced practitioners with key tools and concepts needed to construct an analysis within optimality theory ot. An introduction to linguistic theory by victoria frumkin etal 2000, blackwell. Download pdf optimality theory and minimalism free online. For sound files, updated web links, typo corrections, and other material, please visit the website for this text at jinguistics ucla edupeoplehayesip. Optimality theory cambridge textbooks in linguistics rene. This paper proposes an optimality theoretic analysis of stress assignment in levantine arabic. Optimality theory an introduction patrick schmitz term paper advanced seminar english. Notes on optimality theory college of the holy cross. A formal theory of vowel coalescence download ebook pdf. Kager s explanations are clear, and he does a god job walking you through the various topics.