This tutorial presents an introduction to the contemporary linguistic framework known as
optimality theory (OT). The basic assumptions of this constraint-based theory as a general …

This is an introduction to Optimality Theory, whose central idea is that surface forms of
language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing constraints. A surface form is' …

There are a variety of phonological asymmetries exhibited by segments which appear in
perceptually or psycholinguistically prominent positions such as roots, root-initial syllables …

This book describes Optimality Theory from the top down, explaining and exploring the
central premises of OT and the results that follow from them. Examples are drawn from …

The distribution of the feature [high] in Shona verbs is a prototypical example of positional
neutralisation accompanied by vowel harmony. In languages which exhibit positional …

This article presents a typology of consonant harmony or Long Distance Consonant
Agreement that is analyzed as arising through correspondence relations between …

The current chapter presents an approach to faithfulness that is rooted in the analysis of
reduplication. The faithfulness/reduplication connection might at first seem unexpected, but …

In this dissertation I argue for a general model of assimilation within Optimality Theory, with
vowel harmony processes serving as a specific empirical testing ground. The model centers …

Hidden Generalizations is the first monograph devoted exclusively to the problem of
phonological opacity. Opacity arises when the conditions for or results of an active …

The acquisition of a second language (L2) is clearly somehow different from that of a first
language (L1): adult second language learners rarely (if ever) achieve the same native …