"An intensely practical book, full of concrete problemsolving advice, which should be well-thumbed by those learning and working within OT." ( Journal of Linguistics , 2009)

Doing Optimality Theory
Applying Theory to Data
John J. McCarthy

"Built on deep experience in research and teaching, and drawing expertly on recent advances in handling the theory, McCarthy's volume conducts the reader closer than any previous text to the heart of the Optimality Theoretic enterprise. Lucidly grounded in the nuts-and-bolts of analytic technique, the book includes numerous exercises and questions that will stimulate, inspire, and provoke. Along the way the reader will encounter many sharp observations about matters ranging from theory-construction to writing up research results; these alone are worth the price of entry."
Alan Prince, Rutgers University

"This book not only fills a major gap in the books on OT for beginners, but also offers wise advice for more experienced researchers."
Moira Yip, University College London

"There are many introductions to OT as a theory, but none with hands-on training on the nitty-gritty details of how to actually do OT research. McCarthy's book, brimming with thought-provoking questions and problem sets, provides the guidance needed."
Junko Ito, University of California, Santa Cruz

Optimality Theory revolutionized the field of phonology and had a huge impact on linguistics in general when it was first proposed in 1993. In Doing Optimality Theory, one of the key proponents of the theory explains how to do analysis and research using this model. Because the basic premises of OT are markedly different from other linguistic theories, new analytic techniques and new ways of thinking and theorizing are required.

This unique work presents practical, in-depth advice for students in the field in an engaging and accessible way. Numerous questions, specific examples, and exercises throughout are designed to give readers an in-depth understanding of the material. McCarthy summarizes the core concepts of OT to make this an ideal guide for both advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and one that will, by example, lead the way to future developments in the field.

Biografía del autor
John J. McCarthy 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 His widely cited but unpublished manuscript "Prosodic Morphology I: Constraint Interaction and Satisfaction" (with Alan Prince, 1993) has been an important factor in the dissemination of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), A Thematic Guide to Optimality Theory (2002), and Hidden Generalizations: Phonological Opacity in Optimality Theory (2007), as well as the editor of Optimality Theory in Phonology: A Reader (Blackwell, 2004).

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