Optimality Theory (OT) is a generative linguistics theory that provides an explanation for the way languages are structured. It was developed in the early 1990s by Alan Prince and Paul Smolensky (Prince & Smolensky, 1993). OT analyzes language data using a mathematical framework known as constraint-based grammar. This framework is based on the notion of optimality, which states that the best outcome is achieved when the strongest constraints are met.
OT considers language to be an optimization problem, where the goal is to produce the optimal output given the input. To do this, languages are analyzed by considering the constraints that govern them. These constraints can be lexical, phonological, syntactic, and semantic in nature. The constraints are ranked in order of importance, and the optimal output is produced when the highest ranked constraint is satisfied.
OT views language as a dynamic system, where the constraints interact with one another to produce the optimal output. This means that the language may evolve over time as new constraints are added or existing ones are modified. This allows for the possibility of linguistic change and variation across languages.
OT has been used to analyze a wide variety of languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Chinese (Falk, 2013; Raimy, 2000). It has also been used to study the structure of discourse and the use of language in conversation (Prince, 1992). OT has been found to be useful in studying language acquisition in both children and adults (Falk, 2013).
Overall, Optimality Theory has been successful in providing an explanation for the structure of language and has been used to analyze a variety of languages. It is an important tool in the field of linguistics that has allowed for a better understanding of how languages are structured and used.
References
Falk, Y. (2013). Optimality Theory in the study of language acquisition. Language Acquisition, 20(4), 293-319.
Prince, A. (1992). Optimality Theory and Discourse Analysis. Discourse Processes, 15(3), 231-282.
Prince, A., & Smolensky, P. (1993). Optimality Theory: Constraint interaction in generative grammar. Technical Report, Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science.
Raimy, E. (2000). Introduction to Optimality Theory. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.