<OT> New Posting: ROA-567

[roa@equinox.rutgers.edu]

ROA 567-1202

>From variable to optimal grammar: evidence from language acquisition and
language change [Dissertation]

Galit Adam <galit@post.tau.ac.il>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=567


Abstract:
This dissertation is concerned with the intermediate grammars 
and the variability that emerge in the course of linguistic 
change. It is based on evidence from the acquisition of 
Hebrew phonology and morphology, and a case study of a 
historical change affecting the grammar of Modern Hebrew. I 
propose a unified formal model for intermediate grammars in 
both language acquisition and (historical) language change, 
from a synchronic point of view, using the framework of 
Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky 1993).

The topics discussed in this work are based on two different 
studies: (i) the acquisition path of Hebrew prosodic structure; 
and (ii) the variation involved in stop-fricative alternation in 
Modern Hebrew, as a result of historical changes. For both 
topics I suggest an Optimality Theoretic account of the 
phenomena, their cause, and their consequences. 

The study of language acquisition is based on two interrelated 
acquisition paths: (a) of prosodic structure of words out of 
morphological context; and (b) of prosodic structure within 
paradigms with regular morphophonological alternation, 
where the acquisition of Hebrew verb inflectional paradigms 
are examined. 

The acquisition path of words out of morphological context 
shows a pattern of gradual increase in prosodic structure (e.g. 
the number of syllables), involving a gradual increase in 
prosodic contrasts (e.g. diverse stress patterns), up until the 
child’s production is phonologically identical to the target 
forms. The increase in structure and contrast indicates a 
gradual transition from unmarked structures with input-output 
disparities (indicating phonological dominance) to marked 
structures, lacking input-output disparities (indicating lexical 
dominance). 

In the acquisition path of alternating paradigms, not only the 
child-adult relations are examined, but also the relation 
between words, where the target language itself exhibits 
input-output disparities, namely words drawn from alternating 
paradigms. This acquisition path provides evidence for the 
child’s restructuring of a lexical representation, as well as 
evidence for the transition from child-adult relation to the 
child’s input-output relation. In addition, I show that the 
phonological account of the acquisition of inflectional 
paradigms provides evidence for morphological development. 
One of the interesting findings in this regard is the emergence 
of morphological knowledge before actual inflectional suffixes 
are produced by the children. This finding would not be 
available without examining the interaction between prosodic 
and morphological factors. 

Another crucial finding dealt with in my study of acquisition is 
the scope of variation in the course of acquisition. I found that 
variation in children’s production is limited to the acquisition of 
the lexical contrasts existing in the language, and is not found 
in the acquisition of alternation resulting from phonological 
restrictions. The model I suggest for change in the course of 
acquisition predicts and explains this finding, based on 
evidence that children do not violate universal restrictions 
respected in the target language. 

The study of language change deals with spirantization in 
Modern Hebrew, where the alternation between stops and 
fricatives involves a great deal of opacity and free variation. 
The analysis suggested is based on a set of paradigms co-
existing in the language and contradicting each other. I show 
that variation is restricted only to certain types of paradigms, 
conditioned by certain phonological properties. However, I 
argue that the co-existence of different types of paradigms 
indicates a change in the language, where the variable 
grammar is an intermediate phase, and the invariable 
paradigms indicate the direction of change. Similar to the 
acquisition path of single forms, and unlike the acquisition 
path of alternation within a paradigm, the direction of change 
in the case of Modern Hebrew spirantization is towards a loss 
of phonological generalization (i.e. towards lexical 
dominance). 

Through the investigation of language acquisition and 
language change, I examine in this work central issues in 
phonological theory, such as morphophonemic alternation 
and prosodic structure, in conditions of change. The 
phenomena investigated here provide insight to the nature of 
linguistic change in the following aspects: (i) the distinction 
between phonological properties that undergo change vs. 
phonological properties that do not undergo change; (ii) the 
directionality of change; and (iii) the scope of variation in the 
course of change. I argue that both language acquisition and 
language change share similar patterns with respect to these 
issues. Moreover, the change, its directionality and the 
variation involved, are accounted for by the same theoretical 
terms that account for the linguistic knowledge of a single 
ideal native speaker. I show that Optimality Theory suggests 
an appropriate theoretical framework for a unified generative 
analysis of this type. 

Keywords: variation, alternation, prosodic development, paradigms, spirantization,
Modern Hebrew

Areas: language acquisition, language change

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=567