Optimality Theory

Abdullah Khalid Bosaad刘畅 Liú Chàng

Optimality TheoryOT in real life;

OT in Yawelmani;

The strength of OT.

Optimality Theory in real life

How do I group these people?

Sally*Ken and Sam

Bob

Georgia* Sally and Georgia

Frank

Sam* Uneven Groups

Ken

Optimality Theory in real life?

*Ken-Sam *Sally- Georgia

Sally Bob FrankGeorgia Sam Ken

*!

Sally GeorgiaFrank KenSam Bob

*

Sally KenFrank Georgia

Sam Bob

What is OT ?

an approach in phonological description pioneered by Alan Prince and Paul Smolensky (1993).

The Fundamentals of OT The structure:CON (Constraint component)GEN (Generator component)EVAL(Evaluator component)CON : a universal set of constraints.◦Faithfulness constraints—prohibits difference

between input and output.◦Dep constraint: output depends on input /input/ …{cand1, cand 2,…}

/buk-z/ {[buks, bugz, bukz… ]}

The Fundamentals of OT

GEN : a mapping of inputs to every possible output, producing candidates◦/input/ GEN{cand1, cand 2,…}

/buk-z/ {[buks, bugz, bukz… ]}

EVAL: a method for choosing the best candidate.◦/input/ GEN{cand1, cand 2,…}

Eval [output]

OT in Yawelmani:

Spoken in California Syllables cannot be bigger than CVC pattern.

EX: Input /ʔilk-hin/ output=[ ? ]

1. ʔil.k.hin2. ʔi.lik.hin3. ʔi.li.ki.hin4. ʔi.li.ki.hi.ni

OT in Yawelmani:

Input /ʔilk-hin/GEN{[ cand1,… cand

4,… ]}EVALoutput=[ ]

Candidate set: Can1= ʔil.k.hin Can2= ʔi.lik.hin Can3= ʔi.li.ki.hin Can4= ʔi.li.ki.hi.ni

OT in Yawelmani:

Apply * C unsyll (unsyllabified consonant is ungrammatical)

Apply Dep

Input /ʔilk-hin/Can1= ʔil.k.hinCan2= ʔi.lik.hinCan3= ʔi.li.ki.hinCan4= ʔi.li.ki.hi.niFavors 2,3,4 over 1

(because [k] is unsyllabified)

Favors 1, over 2 over 3 over 4

Candidates Dep

ʔil.k.hin

ʔi.lik.hin *

ʔi.li.ki.hin **

ʔi.li.ki.hi.ni ***

OT in Yawelmani:

Candidates C unsyll Dep

ʔil.k.hin *

ʔi.lik.hin *

ʔi.li.ki.hin **

ʔi.li.ki.hi.ni ***

Constraint Hierarchy:

C unsyll >> Dep

Output= Cand2 [ʔi.lik.hin]

The strength of OT

Yawelmani:Delete a vowel at the end of a word.◦/taxa-ka/ /ta.xak/, /taxa-mi//ta.xam/◦V deletion: Vø / VC____#

The strength of OT / xat.ka/ ?◦ /xat.ka/? VS /xat.k/?◦ / xat.ka / exists.◦ *C unsyll—prohibits

unsyllabified consonants. /xat.k/ is ungrammatical.

◦ *V#--end vowel deletion.

The strength of OT

*C unsyll *V#

/ xat.ka/ obeyed violated

/ xat.k/ violated obeyed

C unsyll >> V# :C unsyll has a higher priority than V# (C unsyll dominates V#), so / xat.ka/ exist and */ xat.k/ does not.

The strength of OTmodels grammars as systems that provide

mappings from inputs to outputs; typically, the inputs are conceived of as underlying representations, and the outputs as their surface realizations.

proposes that the observed forms of language arise from the interaction between conflicting constraints.

Constraint prioritization ranking is fundamental to OT