BibTeX
@MISC{Kager00optimalitytheory,
author = {René Kager and Jason Eisner},
title = {Optimality Theory},
year = {2000}
}
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Abstract
Introduction Rene Kager's textbook is one of the first to cover Optimality Theory (OT), a declarative grammar framework that swiftly took over phonology after it was introduced by Prince, Smolensky, and McCarthy in 1993. OT reclaims traditional grammar's ability to express surface generalizations ("syllables have onsets," "no nasal+voiceless obstruent clusters"). Empirically, some surface generalizations are robust within a language, or---perhaps for functionalist reasons--- widespread across languages. Derivational theories were forced to posit diverse rules that rescued these robust generalizations from other phonological processes. An OT grammar avoids such "conspiracies" by stating the generalizations directly, as in TwoLevel Morphology (Koskenniemi, 1983) or Declarative Phonology (Bird, 1995). In OT, the processes that try but fail to disrupt a robust generalization are described not as rules (cf. Paradis (1988)), but as lower-ranked generalizations. Suc
Keyphrases
optimality theory surface generalization robust generalization phonological process lower-ranked generalization diverse rule introduction rene kager functionalist reason declarative phonology reclaims traditional grammar twolevel morphology derivational theory ot grammar avoids conspiracy declarative grammar framework nasal voiceless obstruent cluster
