优选论及其在汉语音系研究中的应用

Optimality Theory and Its Application to the Study of Chinese Phonology

优选论是上世纪90年代出现的新兴的音系学理论。它脱胎于传统的生成音系学,又是对生成音系学的扬弃。国内近几年在引进优选论的同时,也开始运用优选论研究汉语的声调、鼻化韵、儿化等语音现象,优选论对传统方法和学说难以解决的某些深层次问题的解释,显出新颖而独特的优势。作为一种新理论假说,其主要问题在于:只关注输出而忽略了输入;对制约条件的“宽松”处理,在解释不同层次制约条件与生成装置的联结关系时仍存在困难。

Optimality Theory (OT) , a newly - born phonological model of the 1990s, developed from the framework of generative phonology and then sharply diverted from the common practice of GP. In the past decade, along with the introduction of OT, Chinese phonologists began to apply the theory in the studies of Chinese tone sandhi, nasalization, retroflexed suffixation and vowel harmony. To give insightful explanations to some problematic cases involved in the traditional approaches, OT has demonstrated its originality and unique power. Yet, as a new theoretical hypothesis, its main problems lie in: a. concerning only the output while overlooking the input, and b. the 'relax' given to constraints will probably lead to difficulties in the explanation of the connection between GEN and constraints at different levels.