Finite-state Optimality Theory: non-rationality of Harmonic Serialism

Harmonic Serialism and Finite-State Optimality Theory

This paper presents a new finite-state model of Optimality Theory (OT). In this model, two assumptions are imposed on the OT framework. Firstly, I adopt the Harmonic Serialism version of OT, in which output forms are derived from input forms via a series of incremental changes. Secondly, constraints are assumed to be strictly local in the sense that each markedness constraint specifies a set of...

Practical Finite State Optimality Theory

Previous work for encoding Optimality Theory grammars as finite-state transducers has included two prominent approaches: the socalled ‘counting’ method where constraint violations are counted and filtered out to some set limit of approximability in a finite-state system, and the ‘matching’ method, where constraint violations in alternative strings are matched through violation alignment in orde...

Harmonic Grammar with Harmonic Serialism∗

Loss of restrictiveness through arithmetic: Concern is well-founded here. As we have shown, however, recourse to the full-blown power of numerical optimization is not required. . . In Optimality Theory, constraints are ranked, not weighted: harmonic evaluation involves the abstract algebra of order relations rather than numerical adjudication between quantities. ∗This research would not have be...

An Introduction to Harmonic Serialism

Approximation and Exa tness in Finite State Optimality Theory