Variation in Optimality Theory
Arto Anttila, Stanford University
Course Website
Variation and quantitative regularities are pervasive in
the phonologies of natural languages. This has always been
recognized by phonologists at some level, but it is only
with Optimality Theory that the structure of variation has
become a forefront topic in theoretical phonology. These
lectures will examine current optimality-theoretic
approaches to phonological variation. The topics include
Multiple Grammars, Partially Ordered Grammars, and
Stochastic Optimality Theory, the universals and
language-particulars of variation, and the interaction of
phonological variation with morphology, syntax, and the
lexicon. The emphasis will be on the empirical evaluation
of theoretical proposals in the light of naturalistic usage
data.
Handout 1
Handout 2
Handout 3
Handout 4
Conclusion (ppt)
Bibliography