Sitzung 10: Optimality Theory

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Sitzung 10 Optimality Theory

• Zusammenfassung Archangeli, D. Optimality
  Theory An Introduction to Linuistics in the
  1990s. In Archangeli and Langendoen (eds.)
  Optimality Theory. 1997

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What is Linguistics Concerned with?

• Patterns existence, characteristics
• Variation differences among patterns
• Universals innate knowledge
• Markedness how common or how special are the
  patterns?

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Review Syllable Structures

• Core syllable CV
• Onset obligatory (e.g. German glottal stop)
• Peak is formed by a vowel
• Syllables end in a vowel (no Coda)
• (no complex consonant clusters)
• no absolute laws for all languages,
• reflects markedness of languages

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Yawelmani Syllables and Constraints
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Optimality Theory -- Philosophy

• Universal grammar as set of violable constraints
• Specific languages use particular ranking
• Different rankings ? different patterns
• Violation of constraints influences markedness
  judgements

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Optimality Theory -- Basics

• Functions
• GEN generates candidate set from given input
• EVAL selects the best (optimal) output
• Constraints
• CON set of ranked constraints
• Special constraints faithfulness constraints
• Principle lower-ranked constraint can be
  violated to satisfy higher-ranked ones

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General representation

• columns indicate dominance of constraints
• constraint satisfaction blank box
• constraint violation
• fatal violation which excludes candidate !
• Optimal candidate marked with ?

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Example
/xat-en/
GEN
xa.te.ni
xa.te.n
xa.ten
xa.te
Etc.
EVAL (constraints)
xa.ten
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Example -- Eval
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Partial ranking

• Whole table with all constraints difficult to
  construct
• Build a partial ordering (using certain
  phenomena), e.g. ordering between PEAK and FAITHV
• E.g. Determine ranking for English plural
• Dogs vs. Cats VOICE_ASS gtgt FAITHC
• Houses OCP_SIBIL gtgt FAITHV (FAITHV?)

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English Plural (Sibilants)
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Problematic Issues

• Is there an input at all?
• Input is not constrained
• GEN produce an infinite set of outputs
• computational problem
• psycholinguistic model
• What are constraints on constraints?
• What happens to output? (modularity...)