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Language & Linguistics

Optimality Theory (René Kager)

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Source cover or paper first page: Optimality Theory

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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Part of Marginalia: books, papers, and ideas for learning and debate.