Learnability in Optimality Theory：（易学性最优性理论）.pdfVIP

Learnability in Optimality Theory Bruce Tesar Paul Smolensky In this article we show how Optimality Theory yields a highly general Constraint Demotion principle for grammar learning. The resulting learning procedure specifically exploits the grammatical structure of Optimality Theory, independent of the content of substantive con- straints defining any given grammatical module. We decompose the learning problem and present formal results for a central subproblem, deducing the constraint ranking particular to a target language, given structural descriptions of positive examples. The structure imposed on the space of possible grammars by Optimality Theory allows efficient convergence to a correct grammar. We discuss implications for learn- ing from overt data only, as well as other learning issues. We argue that Optimality Theory promotes confluence of the demands of more effective learnability and deeper linguistic explanation. Keywords: Optimality Theory, learning, acquisition, computational linguistics How exactly does a theory of grammar bear on questions of learnability? Restrictions on what counts as a possible human language