Faithfulness and underspecification

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3765/amp.v10i0.5456

Keywords:

Optimality Theory, chain shifts, saltations, underspecification, faithfulness

Abstract

This work is about two ‘generation problems’ for classic Optimality Theory, chain shifts and saltations. The issues for OT posed by traditional analyses of chain shifts and saltations have led to various embellishments of the classic theory, typically in the form of novel constraint types. Reiss (2021a,b) proposes a general solution to the problem of chain shifts and saltations that relies more directly on different assumptions about representations than about constraints. Specifically, Reiss assumes that underlying representations may be underspecified, and that a map ‘counts’ as a chain shift or as a saltation so long as the surface alternants from a uniform underlying representation match the respective observed alternants. We report here on three results from our ongoing formal assessment of Reiss’s proposed solution.

Author Biographies

  • Eric Baković, UC San Diego
    Professor, Linguistics Department
  • Wm. G. Bennett, Rhodes University
    Senior Lecturer, Department of English Language and Linguistics

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Published

2023-05-13