Alan prince this dissertation examines four components of a theory of metrical stress the prosodic hierarchy, the system of prosodic prominence, the metrical grid, and the slope category sys. Candidate d, however is harmonically bounded by a, and by c. Introduction to ot syntax ellen woolford university of massachusetts amherst abstract. Description in this paper i argue that an otapproach to grammar is actually essential to minimalist investigations, because it dramatically widens the set of linguistic properties potentially reducible to interface conditions while at the same time dispensing with interfaceexternal language specific provisos. However, ot radically differs from earlier generative models in various ways. Pareto principle, social welfare function and political choice. 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. Kager 1999 gives an entrylevel introduction to ot, mccarthy 2001 surveys. What is the universal set of constraints in optimality theory. Optimality theory by rene kager, 1999 online research. This paper provides a demonstration of the application of optimality theory to the assessment and treatment of a single child with a phonological disorder. Optimality theoretic representation of stress in cairene.
A reader is a collection of readings on this important new theory by leading figures in the field, including a phonology. Otsoft is a windows program meant to facilitate analysis in optimality theory and related frameworks by using algorithms to do tasks that are too large or complex to be done reliably by hand. The prevailing nonsequential approach to phonology, the optimality theory, ot, is based not on rewrite rules but on constraints. Therefore, d cannot be the optimal candidate under any ranking of just these three constraints, though it could be optimal with a larger constraint set. Optionality in cairene arabic whquestions between the minimalist program and optimality theory welcome to the ideals repository. Optimality theory in linguistics is the theory that surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing constraints.
There are far too many candidates, and no consensus at all on what there is to be constrained, how it is to be constrained, and what to do about exceptions and counterexamples. Optimality theory ot is a theory of constraint interaction. The basic formal element of the theory is the constraint. Licensing and underspecification in optimality theory. Making predictions about how animals will behave, and is based on the underlying assumption that ns will favor the biggest fitness payoff, best outcome. Though originally developed from generative phonology, the principles of optimality theory have also been applied in studies of syntax, morphology, pragmatics, language change, and other areas. 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. 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 reader is a collection of readings papers of the early years of.
Optimality theory is a general model of how grammars are structured. Optimality theory ot is a linguistic theory that provides a means of analyzing language in terms of ranked constraints instead of rule ordering. A statistical test for the optimality of deliberative time. No prior knowledge of ot is required, though it is assumed that all participants are familiar with the goals. Optimality theory and the problem of constraint aggregation lse. This enables a more comprehensive analysis of rationality in a variety of contexts. Roa, which was created by alan prince in 1993, is an electronic depository of work in, on, or about ot. Ot differs from other approaches to phonological analysis, such as autosegmental phonology and linear phonology spe, which typically use rules rather. Case, agreement, object shift, and economy of structure and movement. Given the architecture of generative phonology, which distinguishes between underlying lexical forms and surface forms, and given the. Optimality theory ot is a linguistic model originally proposed by the linguists alan prince and paul smolensky in 1993. Ot provides new angles on longstanding diachronic questions, whilst historical data and models of change bear directly on the assessment of ot. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Notes on optimality theory college of the holy cross.
Your book is focused on oldfashioned rewrite rules. Pdf on jan 1, 1997, diana archangeli and others published optimality theory. An overview find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Metrical and prosodic structure in optimality theory by brett d.
Constraint interaction in generative grammar, 19932004. Posting in roa is open to all who wish to disseminate their work in ot and related theories of grammar. Optimality theory confronts these issues directly, designing its basic architecture to deal with them. For our purposes, it will be convenient to classify phonological changes under two headings, roughly corresponding to the. Pdf this introduction to featural patterns in optimality theory begins by identifying the fundamental function of speech sounds, their role in. 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. Mccarthy points out that some of the most significant work on ot is available for free on the rutgers optimality archive. Optimality theory, introduced in the early 1990s, is a model of language in which the mapping between input and output is mediated by a constraint hierarchy, co optimality theory in phonology. Optimality theory ot shifts the focus of linguistic discovery from rules and derivations to constraints and rankings.
Every game has at least one pareto optimal profile. The emergence of the unmarked optimality in prosodic. These notes explain the procedures and assumptions behind a valuable technique using in studying adaptation called optimality theory. For example, the foraging behavior in starlings can be predicted using an optimality model, specifically a marginal value theorem model. Rene kagers 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. Mccarthy university of massachusetts amherst abstract. Though output underspecification is maintained, it does not pattern in the all. One common use of the optimality model is in optimal foraging theory.
Some of the basic motivations behind ot are to create a model for language analysis that is fairly generalizable and accounts for aspects of universal grammar mccarthy, 2007. In linguistics, optimality theory frequently abbreviated ot. Pay particular attention to the critiques of optimality theory. Phonological derivation in optimality theory acl anthology. It espouses a serialist view of morphology that is rejected by most current phonologists. Minimalism and optimality theory hans broekhuis and ellen woolford to appear in the cambridge handbook of generative syntax final version.
Clinical application of optimality theory 243 optimality theory is different from the majority of linguistic frameworks in that it does not appeal to rules or processes to explain such patterns in grammar. 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. The emergence of the unmarked optimality in prosodic morphology. In linguistics, optimality theory is a linguistic model proposing that the observed forms of. Over the last two centuries, the social optimum issue has been widely discussed and major economists had researched various aspects of social optimality. Ot can be seen as an ot version of the variable rule format. In this paper, they propose that an otbased analysis can successfully explain their findings and make some suggestions about how to develop an analysis to do this. Doing optimality theory brings together examples and practical, detailed advice for undergraduates and graduate students working in linguistics. We should rather see it as part of the phonological toolbox, part of the technical machinery we need in order to have a fullblown theory of phonology. Given that the basic premises of optimality theory are markedly different from other linguistic theories, this book presents the analytic techniques and new ways of thinking and theorizing that are required. Ot reclaims traditional grammars ability to express surface generalizations. It also addresses some frequently asked questions about this theory and offers suggestions. Living things must strike a balance between the energy used to acquire. Optimality models assess this balance in living things, and optimal foraging theory applies it directly to food acquisition.
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. Arabic phonology, arabic broken plurals, ar abic and optimality theory, arabic linguistics 1. The standard phonological rule aims to encode grammatical generalizations in this format. Some basic issues optimality theory ot has originally been developed for dealing with phonological problems, abandoning the assumption that grammatical constraints are inviolable. Researchers compared the amount of time a bird forages to the distance the bird travels to the foraging ground. This article surveys the motivations for ot, its core principles, and the basics of analysis.
Keith brown ed 2005, encyclopedia of language and linguistics, 2nd edition. Although much of the interest in ot has been associated with its use in phonology the area to which ot was first applied, the theory is also applicable to other subfields of. These constraints encompass universal properties of languages. In optimality theory, forms are marked with respect to some constraint if they violate it. 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. Pareto principle, social welfare function and political choice in theory the necessity for pareto principle is therefore futile. The fundamental idea behind ot is that surface forms of language. In a 1997 paper, toni borovsky and barbara horvarth make use of optimality theory to develop an analysis of the variable vocalization of l in the australian english of adelaide. The tableaux from above are repeated below using the comparative tableaux format. The universal set of constraints is on a par with the choir invisible. The rutgers optimality archive is a distribution point for research in optimality theory and its conceptual affiliates. Pareto optimality game theory equilibrium pdf in the prisoners dilemma, there is one dominant strategy equilibrium. The original violation tableau format of prince and smolensky 2004 is illustrated in 2.
Optimality theory, in common with much recent work, shifts the burden from the theory of. It is a theory that has been most widely accepted in the realm of phonology, but has implications for all areas of linguistics. December 9, 2010 1 introduction this chapter discusses the relation between the minimalist program mp and optimality theory ot and will show that, contrary to popular belief, mp and ot are not inherently. It posits that universal grammar has a set of violable universal constraints con. Optimality theory was introduced in the 1990s by linguists alan prince and paul smolensky optimality theory. Pareto efficiency, or pareto optimality, is a state of allocation of resources in which it is. A proposed model of optimality theory for jordanian arabic. Optimality theory marc van oostendorp october 25, 2005 background in the. To introduce ot syntax to phonologists, this pape r shows how syntax benefits from the addition of optimality theory in the analysis of four kinds of complex phenomenon. Pareto optimality and sens thesis in social choice. 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. Pdf abstract optimality theory was introduced in the early 1990s as an alternative model of the organization of natural human language. Optimality theory and ethical decision making1 steve and monica parker sil, papua new guinea branch.
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