Optimal Communication

Published by CSLI Publications, Stanford, 2006.

Authors:

Reinhard Blutner (University of Amsterdam), Helen de Hoop (University of Nijmegen), Petra Hendriks (University of Groningen)


ISBN (Paperback): 1575865149
ISBN (Cloth): 1575865130

Table of Contents:

Summary:

This book provides an overview of recent developments within semantic theory. In this book, ideas from Optimality Theory are applied to the domain of interpretation. The central idea of Optimality Theory is that surface forms of language reflect a resolution of conflicts between competing constraints. A grammatical form is the optimal form incurring the least serious violations of a set of hierarchically ranked constraints. Applying this idea to the domain of interpretation, meanings are viewed as the result of a process of conflict resolution between competing constraints as well. The ultimate interpretation is obtained through an optimization process determining the optimal meaning on the basis of a set of constraints which are not only syntactic but also semantic and pragmatic in nature. The framework of Optimality Theory thus allows for an integration of pragmatic knowledge into semantic theory in a very straightforward fashion.

Starting with an introduction of the basic concepts of Optimality Theory and an application of these concepts to syntactic phenomena, the book shows how these concepts can be applied to the domain of interpretation to solve a number of well-known problems in semantics and pragmatics, in particular with respect to a strictly compositional approach to interpretation. A proper treatment of interpretation involves taking into account both the perspective of the hearer and the perspective of the speaker. This is done by adopting a bidirectional Optimality Theoretic approach to interpretation. The syntactic requirement of recoverability on deletion as well as a weakened version of the semantic principle of compositionality are shown to automatically follow from this bidirectional approach. Bidirectional Optimality Theory can be characterized in game-theoretical terms. Therefore, the framework has a strong formal background. Nevertheless, pragmatic concepts such as Grice's conversational maxims can be reinterpreted quite straightforwardly within this framework. Because a bidirectional perspective on optimization requires a different view on learning, an entire chapter is devoted to this issue. Historically, Optimality Theory is rooted in connectionism, which does not assume a strict distinction between representation and processing. In the final chapter of the book, therefore, connections are explored between bidirectional Optimality Theory and connectionist computation and between bidirectional Optimality Theory and language processing.

The book presents ideas that are of importance to anyone interested in current developments in semantics in particular and current developments in linguistic theory in general. The book is intended for advanced undergraduates, graduates, and researchers in linguistics and cognitive science. Only a basic knowledge of linguistics is required.