"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 phonological process are not evident in the speech signal. Opacity is particularly important in Optimality Theory, which lacks the standard means of analyzing opacity, rule ordering. This book is a thorough reexamination of phonological opacity. It finds insights in the extensive literature on rule interaction of the 1970's. It describes and critiques the oft-voiced opinion that there are no authentic cases of opacity. It evaluates representational approaches to opacity that emerged in the 1980's. Primarily, though, it discusses various ideas about opacity in OT and offers a new proposal, candidate chain theory. This proposal is illustrated and tested with analyses of the phonology of several Semitic languages.

First published in 1985. Two basic issues figure in this study. The first concerns the representation of syllabic and accentual structure, and the effects of those structures on the formulation of phonological rules. In the second section of this title, a solution to the traditional problem of the root and pattern morphological system of Semitic is proposed and illustrated by an extensive treatment of Classical Arabic. This title will be of particular interest to students of linguistics.

First published in 1985. Two basic issues figure in this study. The first concerns the representation of syllabic and accentual structure, and the effects of those structures on the formulation of phonological rules. In the second section of this title, a solution to the traditional problem of the root and pattern morphological system of Semitic is proposed and illustrated by an extensive treatment of Classical Arabic. This title will be of particular interest to students of linguistics.

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 phonology, morphology, and syntax, but the emphasis throughout is on the theory rather than the examples, on understanding what is special about OT and on equipping readers to apply it, extend it, and critique it in their own areas of interest. The book's coverage extends to work on first- and second-language acquisition, phonetics and functional phonology, computational linguistics, historical linguistics, and sociolinguistics. Chapters conclude with extensive suggestions for further reading, classified by topic, and are supplemented by a massive bibliography (over 800 items).

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 phonology, morphology, and syntax, but the emphasis throughout is on the theory rather than the examples, on understanding what is special about OT and on equipping readers to apply it, extend it, and critique it in their own areas of interest. The book's coverage extends to work on first- and second-language acquisition, phonetics and functional phonology, computational linguistics, historical linguistics, and sociolinguistics. Chapters conclude with extensive suggestions for further reading, classified by topic, and are supplemented by a massive bibliography (over 800 items).

"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 phonological process are not evident in the speech signal. Opacity is particularly important in Optimality Theory, which lacks the standard means of analyzing opacity, rule ordering. This book is a thorough reexamination of phonological opacity. It finds insights in the extensive literature on rule interaction of the 1970's. It describes and critiques the oft-voiced opinion that there are no authentic cases of opacity. It evaluates representational approaches to opacity that emerged in the 1980's. Primarily, though, it discusses various ideas about opacity in OT and offers a new proposal, candidate chain theory. This proposal is illustrated and tested with analyses of the phonology of several Semitic languages.

An anthology of works on phonology, morphology, syntax, animal communciation, cognitive science, and Optimality Theory by the colleagues and students of Alan Prince. Contributors include the New York Times best-selling author Steven Pinker, Prince's collaborators Paul Smolensky and John McCarthy, and others.

This collection of articles and associated discussion papers focuses on a problem that has attracted increasing attention from linguists and psychologists throughout the world during the past several years. Reduced to essentials, the problem is that of discovering the character of the mental capacities that make it possible for human beings to attain knowledge of their language on the basis of fragmentary and haphazard early linguistic experience. A fundamental assumption running through all of these contributions is that people possess strong innate predispositions that are critical for success in this task.