<OT> New Posting: ROA-653

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 653-0404

Optimizing gender

Curt Rice <curt.rice at hum.uit.no>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=653


Abstract:
This paper addresses the topic of gender category assignment
with the tools of optimality theory. Of particular interest
are cases in which gender assignment conflicts arise, i.e.
cases in which a noun is in the domain of conflicting gender
assignment principles. It is argued here that OT provides
the means for resolving such conflicts, especially through
the use of a markedness hierarchy. However, it is also argued
that features for gender assignment contribute equally,
such that 'majority wins' effects can be seen. This is formalized
by requiring the constraints refering to these principles
to be crucially equally ranked, formalized here as constraint
disjunction. In this way we provide an example of a formal
option mentioned but not exemplified in Prince & Smolensky
(1993).

Comments: 
Keywords: grammatical gender, morphology, crucial equal ranking, German
Areas: Morphology
Type: Manuscript

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=653