Jan 17, 2017 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. Optimality theory was introduced in the 1990s by linguists alan prince and paul smolensky optimality theory. 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. Geographically distributed systems often rely on replicated eventually consistent data stores to achieve availability and performance. Constraint interaction in generative grammar, 19932004. 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. It can lead to much more elegant analyses in some cases. Ot differs from other approaches to phonological analysis, such as autosegmental phonology and linear phonology spe, which typically use rules rather.
Almost immediately after the first manuscript prince and smolensky 1993 started circulating. In tesar and smolenskys groundbreaking work, grammar learning is tied intimately and inextricably to the core principles of the underlying linguistic. Faithfulness constraints, on the other hand, preserve lexical items from the corrupting power of markedness constraints, requiring output forms to match input. 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. Description 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 system and investigates how optimality theoretic constraints restrict or facilitate interaction between them. An overview find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. 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. 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 typical example is the constraint nocoda, which forbids the occurrence in the output of syllables ending on a consonant a syllablefinal consonant is often. Case, agreement, object shift, and economy of structure and movement. A file entered as a parameter must have been created in a previous interpreter session see 2 for more about the file interface. 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 theoretic representation of stress in cairene.
Optimality theory is a general model of how grammars are structured. Optimality theoretic representation of stress in cairene arabic. The prevailing nonsequential approach to phonology, the optimality theory, ot, is based not on rewrite rules but on constraints. This paper provides a demonstration of the application of optimality theory to the assessment and treatment of a single child with a phonological disorder. A function called gen maps each lexical form into all possible output candidates. The first condition for pareto optimality relates to efficiency in exchange.
Optimality theory optimality theory prince and smolensky 1993 ot is a theory of constraint interaction. Pdf on jan 1, 1997, diana archangeli and others published optimality theory. Optimality theory and the generative complexity of. Optimality theory constraint interaction in generative grammar first circulated. The data set analyzed in this paper is drawn from cairene spoken arabic. 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. This thoughful and novel work is strongly recommended to scholars in learnability theory, as well as to anyone with an interest in optimality theory. These restrictions can be formalized in terms of constraints. What is the universal set of constraints in optimality theory. 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. Constraints are universal but each language may rank them differently. Proceedings of the west coast conference on formal linguistics, 16, 433455. Surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing demands or constraints. Studies conducted on arabic so far have either focused on classical or modern standard arabic, and on clas sical arabic as pronounced by egyptian or cairene.
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. Many criticisms of ot are, according to its proponents, based on fundamental misunderstanding of how it works. Pay particular attention to the critiques of optimality theory. It also addresses some frequently asked questions about this theory and offers suggestions. However, ot radically differs from earlier generative models in various ways. The universal set of constraints is on a par with the choir invisible.
Constraints are the two approaches equivalent or are they fundamentally different. These notes explain the procedures and assumptions behind a valuable technique using in studying adaptation called optimality theory. Optimality theory in linguistics is the theory that surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing constraints. Languages without complex clusters differ on how they will resolve this. This evaluation allows researchers to make predictions about an organismss optimal behavior or other aspects of its phenotype. To resolve conflicting updates at different replicas, researchers and practitioners have proposed specialized consistency protocols, called replicated data types, that implement objects such as registers, counters, sets or lists. It is a theory that has been most widely accepted in the realm of phonology, but has implications for all areas of linguistics. In this paper we examine some of the betterknown arguments originally adduced in support of ooc constraints, and argue that adoption of. Chapter 5 gives an overview of the ot optimality theory, and an ot account of the tonal phenomenon including tonal alteration in bodo. Candidate d, however is harmonically bounded by a, and by c. Optimality theory supposes that there are no languagespecific restrictions on the input. Ot differs from other approaches to phonological analysis, such as autosegmental phonology and linear phonology spe, which typically use. Optimality in biology a collection of annotated examples motivation and definition. Download pdf optimal control theory free online new.
Download optimal control theory ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub. Input is an fsa that accepts mappings from the given input to any output. It allows for the calculation and visualization of the costs and benefits that influence the outcome of a decision, and contributes to an understanding of adaptations. 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. Pdf abstract optimality theory was introduced in the early 1990s as an alternative model of the organization of natural human language. Optimality theory ot is a linguistic theory that provides a means of analyzing language in terms of ranked constraints instead of rule ordering.
Command theory is shown to be well suited to deal with the phrasing of ditransitive constructions. Newest optimalitytheory questions linguistics stack. Description outputoutput correspondence ooc constraints, constraints which demand correspondence between independently occurring surface forms, have recently been added to the set of constraint types invoked in much ot work. Your book is focused on oldfashioned rewrite rules. Optimality theory in the analysis of four kinds of complex phenomenon. This paper proposes an optimalitytheoretic analysis of stress assignment in levantine arabic. 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. August, 2002 alan prince paul smolensky department of linguistics department of cognitive science rutgers cognitive science center the johns hopkins university. Metrical and prosodic structure in optimality theory. A reader is a collection of readings on this important new theory by leading figures in the field. The proposal is comprehensive in that it examines each of the basic types of.
The required condition is that the marginal rate of substitution between any two products must be the. There are two modes of operation in the optimality interpreter. The winning candidate in otp can be defined recursively. For example, a language without complex clusters must be able to deal with an input such as flask. In biology, optimality models are a tool used to evaluate the costs and benefits of different organismal features, traits, and characteristics, including behavior, in the natural world. The focus is on optimality theoretic approach because it is the most mod ern theory and also because the theory is able to illustrate pho nological phenomena related to the syllable and beyond in one. Here, i examine the predictions of three theories of the syntaxphonology interface using optimality theory. This paper proposes an optimality theoretic analysis of stress assignment in levantine arabic. Mccarthy university of massachusetts amherst abstract.
In linguistics, optimality theory frequently abbreviated ot. 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. 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. Mccarthy 2007, candidates are multistep derivations, and precedence constraints, which regulate the order of derivational steps, can inspect entire candidate derivations. This means that otcc opens the door to certain kinds of global rules that is, effects in which the application or nonapplication of a process.
Constraint interaction in generative grammar compiles the most important readings about optimality theory in phonology from some of the most. The impact of this work on the field of phonology was extensive and immediate. It espouses a serialist view of morphology that is rejected by most current phonologists. Optimality models assess this balance in living things, and optimal foraging theory applies it directly to food acquisition. Optimality theory is a theory of phonology that drops chomskyan replacement rules in favor of a set of ranked constraints. The following points highlight the two main conditions of pareto optimality. Adding simple markedness, faithfulness, and alignment constraints allows the simplification of the overall theory, eliminating some principles that can now be derived and simplifying the formulation of others. The approach based on optimality models in biology is sometimes called optimality theory. The fundamental idea behind ot is that surface forms of language. This article surveys the motivations for ot, its core principles, and the basics of analysis. Stress assignment in polysyllabic words in levantine. Optimality the property of a system to maximize or minimize some function under given constraints has been a central concept in many fields such as physics, computer science and engineering.
Optimality theory ot shifts the focus of linguistic discovery from rules and derivations to constraints and rankings. Alignwrap theory, match theory, and a ccommand based theory i call command 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. This is an introduction to optimality theory, whose central idea is that surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing constraints. Doing optimality theory brings together examples and practical, detailed advice for undergraduates and graduate students working in linguistics. Living things must strike a balance between the energy used to acquire. 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. For each chapter, mccarthy adds brief introductory. Optimality theory ot is a wideemployed theoretical framework used in contemporary linguistics. Therefore, d cannot be the optimal candidate under any ranking of just these three constraints, though it could be optimal with a larger.
The original reference for ot is prince and smolensky 1993. Ot reclaims traditional grammars ability to express surface generalizations. Limits on global rules in optimality theory with candidate. Optimality theory history it is a linguistic model proposing that the observed forms of language arise from the interaction between conflicting constraints.
Mccarthy, university of massachusetts, amherst ot does not need to permanently influence linguistic theory. Stress assignment in polysyllabic words in levantine arabic. This means that otcc opens the door to certain kinds of global rules that is, effects in which the application. Eval chooses the candidate that best satisfies a set of ranked constraints. 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. Special thanks to john mccarthy for detailed discussion of virtually every issue raised here and for a finegrained skepsis of the entire first draft of the ms.
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