<OT> New Posting: ROA-1002

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 1002-1108

Constraint interaction: A lingua franca for stochastic theories of language

Matthew Goldrick <goldrick at ling.northwestern.edu>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=1002


Abstract:
Psycholinguistic and stochastic grammatical theories of
sound structure are typically stated in quite different
formal vocabularies (i.e., connectionist networks vs. stochastic
extensions of Optimality Theory). This commentary argues
that this difference obscures a common set of core principles:
in each framework, the generation of behavior can be conceptualiz
ed as the consequence of the interaction of two broad types
of constraints. To support this claim, Warker and Dell's
connectionist proposal is re-cast as a type of constraint-based
theory. This reconceptualization not only increases our
understanding of how their proposal accounts for empirical
data but also allows us to better understand its relationship
to stochastic grammatical theories. The connection between
these cross-disciplinary perspectives suggests that the
substance of theoretical disagreements reflects not principles
of processing vs. grammar but rather conflicting claims
regarding the precise nature of constraints and their interaction
s.

Comments: Commentary on contribution by Warker & Dell. In C. T. Schütze & V. S. Ferreira (eds.) The state of the art in speech error research: Proceedings of the LSA Institute workshop (MITWPL vol. 53, pp. 95-114). Cambridge, MA: MIT Working Papers in Linguistics.
Keywords: Variation, connectionist models
Areas: Phonology,Psycholinguistics,Formal Analysis
Type: Conference Proceedings Chapter

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=1002