DescriptionA “last resort” is argued to be nothing more than a winning, i.e. grammatical form, once it is understood in terms of competition between alternative candidates. It is a theorem of OT that we find last resort effects, since it follows from the nature of competition and constraint interaction.
NoteThe definitive version of this paper is published in Linguistics in Potsdam 25 (2006).
NoteGrimshaw, J. (2006). The Nature, Use and Origin of Explanatory Adequacy. In H. Broekhuis & R. Vogel (Eds), Linguistics in Potsdam 25. Optimality Theory and Minimalism: A possible Convergence? Potsdam : Universitätsverlag Potsdam
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
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