In linguistics, optimality theory is a linguistic model proposing that the observed forms of language arise from the optimal satisfaction of conflicting constraints. The main idea is that grammars impose a set of restrictions on what are valid surface forms. Optimality theory and african language phonology cascadilla. 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. Other classes with a p focus in the mit linguistics program include 24. Optimality theory prince smolensky 1993 optimality theory is a theory of language and grammar in which wellformedness constraints on outputs determine grammaticality.
Syllabus introduction to phonology linguistics and. Ot is a fairly recent theory of grammar the first widely read publication was spread around the linguistic community in 1993 and it is quite influential, especially in phonology. It can lead to much more elegant analyses in some cases. Theoretical insights from ot enrich our understanding of spanish phonology, and spanish data also figure prominently in the latest theoretical developments within ot. This is a preprint version of an article to appear in. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading optimality theory in phonology. Ot differs from other approaches to phonological analysis, such as autosegmental phonology and linear phonology spe, which typically use rules rather.
Optimality theory optimality theory prince and smolensky 1993 ot is a theory of constraint interaction. I understand how basic optimality theory as applied to phonology works, but ive never understood how it came into popularity. The basic principles of optimality theory are introduced and. It also addresses some frequently asked questions about this theory and offers suggestions. As the theory of representations in syntax has ramified, the theory of operations has dwindled in content, even to triviality and, for some, nonexistence. The role of features in a theory of phonological typology a major goal of generative phonology. Optimality theory as applied to language was originally proposed by the linguists. These constraints are assumed to be universal, and the difference between child phonology and adult phonology, and between the grammars of different languages, now lies in differences in the ranking of the constraints. Optimality theory will be welcomed by any linguist with a basic knowledge of derivational generative phonology. In class we mainly approached phonology from a rulebased perspective, and were breifly told of ots constraintbased approach in passing. Sep 19, 2015 american english pronunciation the vowels sounds 2019 cac nguyen am,,, duration. Part of language acquisition can then be described as the process of adjusting the ranking of these constraints. Synchronic chain shifts in optimality theory optimality.
Autosegmental phonology later evolved into feature geometry, which became the standard theory of representation for theories of the organization of phonology as different as lexical phonology and optimality theory. Claim that skype is an unconfined application able to access all ones own personal files and system resources. Optimality theory in phonological acquisition journal of. These restrictions can be formalized in terms of constraints.
For our purposes, it will be convenient to classify phonological changes under two headings, roughly corresponding to the. The morphologyphonology connection home linguistics. 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 fundamental idea behind ot is that surface forms of language. If there is no gradual, harmonically improving path from a given underlying. The proper treatment of optimality in computational phonology. Derivational residue in phonological optimality theory ben hermans, marc van oostendorp.
Section 2 gives an example of syntax within the theory. This is an introduction to optimality theory, whose central idea is that surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing constraints. Skype, spinning, spotify, slang not included in the. Kager 1999 gives an entrylevel introduction to ot, mccarthy 2001 surveys. The early stages abstract recent experimental work indicates that by the age of ten months, infants have already learned a great deal about the phonotactics legal sounds and sound sequences of their language. The basic assumptions of this constraintbased theory as a general model of grammar are first outlined, with formal notation being defined and illustrated. Optimality theory ot is a linguistic model originally proposed by the linguists alan prince and paul smolensky in 1993. Markedness conflation in optimality theory phonology.
The basic assumptions of this constraintbased theory as a general model of grammar. However, i dont understand how optimality theory can deal with phonological opacity. Implicationally related error patterns and the selection. Constraint interaction in generative grammar, 19932004.
The problem is how to derive all these different ways of avoiding this configuration from a single principle. Laypeople would usually call these the vowels and consonants of a language. If you dont want phonology to be just a technique for datacompression, you have to seek the locus of explanatory action elsewhere prince smolensky, 1993 5 why outputoriented. Optimality theory assumes that these components are universal.
Linguistic and cognitive explanation in optimality theory. No less central to the field is optimality theory, an approach developed within morpho phonology in the early 1990s. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left. Your book is focused on oldfashioned rewrite rules. Constraint interaction in generative grammar optimality theory in phonology wiley online library. The recent literature features three approaches which focus squarely on the morphology phonology interface. Government phonology, which originated in the early 1980s as an attempt to unify theoretical notions of syntactic and phonological. What are the advantages disadvantages of a rulebased method of phonological analysis over competing methods such as optimality theory.
Germanic, phonological developments began with the introduction of. Core syllabication in imdlawn tashlhiyt berber the construction of grammar in optimality theory optimality theory. In contrast, dominance relations in markedness hierarchies are universal. Offers an outstanding comprehensive monographic treatment of spanish phonology from within current linguistic theory, the first in decades. In the next section, i will present the salient features of korean phonology and il phonology of korean speakers of english ilke in terms of ot. Optimality theory is a complex linguistic model of constraintbased patterns and markedness hierarchies and it is billed clearly as nativist. Nov 30, 2016 in this weeks episode, we take a look at optimality theory. This learning occurs before infants can utter words or apprehend most phonological. The gradual path to cluster simplification phonology. Optimality theory ot has applications throughout the. This book is a compilation of readings on ot in phonology, starting with the original and most important one, prince and smolenskys optimality theory. Lecture notes introduction to phonology linguistics. This article surveys research in spanish phonology from the perspective of optimality theory, a formal linguistic framework based on ranked and violable constraints.
Lecture notes introduction to phonology linguistics and. Pdf the freeride procedure to morphophonemic learning is. Many criticisms of ot are, according to its proponents, based on fundamental misunderstanding of how it works. This dissertation deals with the constraints that phonology imposes on the expo. Ppt optimality theory powerpoint presentation free to. Browse other questions tagged phonology optimality theory or ask your own question. In linguistics, optimality theory frequently abbreviated ot. The rise of optimality theory ot shifted attention from theories of representations to a constraintsbased theory of phonological processes and their interactions. Abstract optimality theory was introduced in the early 1990s as an alternative model of the organization of natural human language sound systems. This tutorial presents an introduction to the contemporary linguistic framework known as optimality theory ot. So what phonological patterns does optimality theory explain that rulebased phonology doesnt.
What are the advantages disadvantages of a rulebased. This 2003 book combines two themes of central importance to linguists and their mutual relevance in recent research. This article provides an introduction to the model for the nonlinguist. Give an introduction to a new linguistic theory, optimality theory ot study topics relevant to the development of ot, including a set of issues and problems connected to lexical phonology and athabaskan linguistics bridge the gap between doing a competent homework assignment and writing a good research paper themes of the course. An introduction to phonetics and phonology download. The prevailing nonsequential approach to phonology, the optimality theory, ot, is based not on rewrite rules but on constraints. Ot provides new angles on longstanding diachronic questions, whilst historical data and models of change bear directly on the assessment of ot. Posting in roa is open to all who wish to disseminate their work in. This article surveys the motivations for ot, its core principles, and the basics of analysis. Concepts unique to the theory, including emergence of the unmarked, are also described. A reader is a collection of readings on this important new theory by leading figures in the field, starting with a lengthy excerpt from the original source, prince and smolenskys neverbeforepublished report optimality theory. The rutgers optimality archive is a distribution point for research in optimality theory and its conceptual affiliates. It espouses a serialist view of morphology that is rejected by most current phonologists. For those interested in an indepth understanding of the application of this theory in phonology, the author provides exercises at the end of every section.
Optimality theory ot does not allow for constraints on the inputs of phono. Mccarthy university of massachusetts amherst abstract. This paper compares some of the different claims that have been made concerning acquisition by traditional rulebased derivational theories and the more recent framework of optimality theory. 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. 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. Uc berkeley introduction to optimality theory in phonology. 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.
A number of passages in the text offer guidance in eliciting useful and valid data from native speakers. This paper proposes an optimality theoretic analysis of stress assignment in levantine arabic. 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. A surface form is optimal if it incurs the least serious violations of a set of constraints, taking into account their hierarchical ranking. Optimality theory was introduced in the 1990s by linguists alan prince and paul smolensky optimality theory. 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. What does optimality theory explain that rulebased. 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 never. The innovation of optimality theory ot is to view grammars as a set of ranked violable constraints. Differences in grammars reflect different rankings of the universal constraint set, con. A reader an excellent introduction for those wishing to become acquainted with the most recent developments in generative phonology.
Phonology is the study of the smallest units without meaning of language. This article accounts for that observation within a derivational version of optimality theory called harmonic serialism. Optimality theory in phonology alan prince and paul smolensky 1. What does optimality theory explain that rulebased phonology. Unlike previous treatments of optimality in computational linguistics. Nicholas rolle lectures at uc berkeley on optimality theory in phonology ling 115 2016.
It is a theory that has been most widely accepted in the realm of phonology, but has implications for all areas of linguistics. This fully revised third edition integrates updated references, new findings, and modern theories, to present readers with the most thorough and complete introduction to phonetics and phonology. Lexical and postlexical phonology in optimality theory. A reader kindle edition by mccarthy, john j download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In harmonic serialism, the final output is reached by a series of derivational steps that gradually improve harmony. Optimality theory ot shifts the focus of linguistic discovery from rules and derivations to constraints and rankings. Section 3 examines possible implications of optimality theory for studies of language processing, discussing work on the computability of optimality theoretic grammars, as well as some conceptual similarities between optimality theory and work in connectionism and dynamical systems. Exercises accompany chapters 17, and there are sections on further reading. Generating interlanguage syllabification in optimality theory acl. Optimality theory is a theory of phonology that drops chomskyan replacement rules in favor of a set of ranked constraints. Im guessing, though, that there are good reasons why it arose.
This article argues that both languagespecific conflation and universal markedness relations can be expressed in optimality theory. Optimality theory in phonology california institute of. Thus, in spoken languages, the sounds k, ee, n, oo etc. Compiles the most important readings about optimality theory in phonology from some of the most prominent researchers. It is argued here that optimality theory ot provides the means to derive the full range of dissimilatory effects from the ocp, through the ranking of the ocp with faithfulness constraints. This is provided in the further reading sections at the end of each chapter.
Optimality theory is a general model of how grammars are structured. Bybee university of new mexico usagebased functionalism is the term used here to designate the particular version of american functionalism that argues that language use shapes language structure. This relates to the phonology course i teach, in which one of the major assignments is a. Perception, salience, the lexicon, and optimality theory 193210, which offers an ot interpretation of loan word phonology without employing the notion of phonetic salience relied on in earlier ot analyses of the topic. It will be of great value to students, instructors, and researchers alike whose interests lie in spanish, romance and general linguistics, as well as in optimality theory and variation and dialect studies. Optimality theory ot is a theory of constraint interaction.
In this paper i will examine several basic principles of. Spanishenglish and portugueseenglish interlanguage phonology. The ambitions of ot go well beyond phonology, though. A similar distinction between native and nonnative morphemes can be. Stress assignment in polysyllabic words in levantine. The section on segmental phonology begins with a paper by haike jacobs and carlos gussenhoven, loan phonology. Second language phonology in optimality theory barbara.
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