The Locus of Exceptionality: Morpheme-Specific Phonology as Constraint Indexation

Abstract

This paper argues for an analysis of exceptions in Optimality Theory in terms of lexically specific markedness and faithfulness constraints. This approach is shown to capture locality restrictions, distinctions between exceptional and truly impossible patterns, distinctions between blocking and triggering, and distinctions between variation and exceptionality. It is contrasted with other OT analyses of exceptions, in particular those involving lexically specified rankings (or cophonologies), and those that disallow lexically specific faithfulness constraints. The data discussed are from Finnish and Piro. A learnability account of the genesis of lexically specific constraints is also provided.