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.

This book compiles the most important readings about Optimality Theory in phonology from some of the most prominent researchers in the field, and 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, as well as introductory notes and study/research questions for each chapter.

Table of Contents:

Part I: The Basics; Part II: Formal Analysis; Part III: Prosody; Part IV: Segmental Phonology; Part V: Interfaces.