Optimality Theory and Language Change (Studies in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory (56))

Optimality Theory and Language Change:
-discusses many optimization and linguistic issues in great detail;
-treats the history of a variety of languages, including English, French, Germanic, Galician/Portuguese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish;
-shows that the application of OT allows for innovative and improved analyses;
-allows researchers that appeal to OT to see the connections of their (usually synchronic) work with diachronic studies;
-contains a complete bibliography on Optimality Theory and language change.

This volume may be used as one of the texts in courses on historical phonology or syntax that treat these topics from generative approaches or that give a general survey of various frameworks of research into these areas. Likewise, the volume may serve as a text for courses in phonology, syntax and Optimality Theory that have a component dedicated to extensions of linguistic theory to historical change. It is of interest for historical linguists, researchers into Optimality Theory and linguistic theory, and for phonologists and syntacticians with an interest in historical change.

From the reviews:

"The quality of the papers is generally very good a ] . It comprises useful features such as indices of names, languages, constraints, and terms at the end of the volume. Especially for those readers who are looking for one reference or phenomenon in particular, these indices will be of great help. a ] the volume reflects ongoing debates in both the fields of language change and Optimality Theory and leaves the reader with a lot of food for thought." (Mareile Schramm, BeitrAge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur, Vol. 129 (2), 2007)