Hidden Generalizations - Phonological Opacity in Optimality Theory - John J. McCarthy
Opacity, derivations, and Optimality Theory
Hidden Generalizations - Phonological Opacity in Optimality Theory - John J. McCarthy
John J. McCarthy [+]
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
John J. McCarthy is Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Dean of the Graduate School, and Distinguished University Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is the author of Hidden Generalizations: Phonological Opacity in Optimality Theory (Equinox 2007).
Description
This chapter begins by explaining what opacity is and how it is analyzed in rule-based phonology. The discussion then turns to a description of ‘classic’ Optimality Theory, the problems that opacity presents for classic Optimality Theory, and various ideas about how to modify the classic theory to accommodate it. The chapter ends with the conclusion that there is something fundamentally correct about rule-based phonology’s serial derivation.