Optimality Theory (Kager)

Series: Language & Linguistics

Optimality Theory — René Kager

René Kager introduces a theory in which linguistic forms emerge from competing constraints.

An optimal candidate has the least serious violations under a language’s constraint ranking.

Different rankings help explain why languages show different patterns.

The book develops analyses of phonology, morphology, syllables, and reduplication.

It also considers how grammars are learned and how the framework extends to syntax.

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