John J. McCarthy 
Optimality Theory in Phonology 
A Reader

Optimality Theory in Phonology: A Reader is a collection of readings on this important new theory by leading figures in the field, including a lengthy excerpt from Prince and Smolensky’s never-before-published Optimality Theory: Constraint Interaction in Generative Grammar.

* Compiles the most important readings about Optimality Theory in phonology from some of the most prominent researchers in the field.

* Contains 33 excerpts spanning a range of topics in phonology and including many never-before-published papers.

* Includes a lengthy excerpt from Prince and Smolensky’s foundational 1993 manuscript Optimality Theory: Constraint Interaction in Generative Grammar.

* Includes introductory notes and study/research questions for each chapter.

Table of Content

Preface.

Contributors’Addresses.

Acknowledgments.

Part I: The Basics.

1 Optimality Theory: Constraint Interaction in Generative
Grammar. (Alan Prince and Paul Smolensky).

2 Generalized Alignment: Introduction and Theory. (John J.
Mc Carthy and Alan Prince).

3 Faithfulness and Identity in Prosodic Morphology. (John J.
Mc Carthy and Alan Prince).

Part II: Formal Analysis.

4 Computing Optimal Forms in Optimality Theory: Basic
Syllabification. (Bruce Tesar).

5 Learnability in Optimality Theory. (Bruce Tesar and Paul
Smolensky).

6 Non-computable Functions in Optimality Theory. (Elliott
Moreton).

Part III: Prosody.

7 Generalized Alignment: Prosody. (John J. Mc Carthy and Alan
Prince).

8 Ternary Rhythm and the *LAPSE Constraint. (Nine Elenbaas and
René Kager).

9 Quality-Sensitive Stress. (Michael Kenstowicz).

10 Unbounded Stress and Factorial Typology. (Eric Bakovic).

11 Head Dependence in Stress-Epenthesis Interaction. (John
Alderete).

12 Feet, Tonal Reduction, and Speech Rate at the Word and Phrase
Level in Chinese. (Moira Yip).

13 OCP Effects in Optimality Theory. (Scott Myers).

Part IV: Segmental Phonology.

14 Austronesian Nasal Substitution and Other NC Effects. (Joe
Pater).

15 Phonetically Driven Phonology: The Role of Optimality Theory
and Inductive.

Grounding. (Bruce Hayes).

16 Positional Faithfulness. (Jill Beckman).

17 Positional Faithfulness and Voicing Assimilation in
Optimality Theory. (Linda Lombardi).

18 Positional Asymmetries and Licensing. (Cheryl Zoll).

19 Partial Class Behavior and Nasal Place Assimilation. (Jaye
Padgett).

20 Dissimilation as Local Conjunction. (John Alderete).

21 Synchronic Chain Shifts in Optimality Theory. (Robert
Kirchner).

Part V: Interfaces.

22 Transderivational Identity: Phonological Relations Between
Words. (Laura Benua).

23 Backness Switch in Russian. (Jerzy Rubach).

24 Generalized Alignment: The Prosody-Morphology Interface.
(John J. Mc Carthy and Alan Prince).

25 The Prosodic Structure of Function Words. (Elisabeth
Selkirk).

26 The Emergence of the Unmarked. (John J. Mc Carthy and Alan
Prince).

27 Maximal Words and the Maori Passive. (Paul de Lacy).

28 External Allomorphy as Emergence of the Unmarked. (Joan
Mascaró).

29 Derived Environmental Effects in Optimality Theory. (Anna
£ubowicz).

30 Licensing and Underspecification in Optimality Theory. (Junko
Ito, Armin Mester, and Jaye Padgett).

31 The Implications of Lexical Exceptions for the Nature of
Grammar. (Sharon Inkelas, Orhan Orgun, and Cheryl Zoll).

32 The Phonological Lexicon. (Junko Ito and Armin Mester).

33 Variation and Change in Optimality Theory. (Arto Anttila and
Young-mee Yu Cho).

References.

Index.

About the author

John J. Mc Carthy is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His widely cited but unpublished manuscript ‘Prosodic Morphology I: Constraint Interaction and Satisfaction’ (with Alan Prince, 1993) has been an important factor in the dissemination of Optimality Theory.He is also the author of Formal Problems in Semitic Phonology and Morphology (1985) and A Thematic Guide to Optimality Theory (2002).