earticle

영어

This paper investigates some data of Mid-Korean on sai sori [z](=/△/) and [s](=/ㅅ/) and proposes that historical change, a fixed ranking of constraints restricts only a single output form. In this paper, as time goes by, historical change reflects directionality from Con(straint) A ＞＞ Con B to their reversed ranking. Interestingly, however, historical change does not always go along with a fixed ranking where only a single output form takes place. This paper observes that in a transitional moment between these two ranking changes, the rankings of Con A ＞＞ Con B and Con B ＞＞ Con A are co-existent and thus two optimal forms surface as free variants. To put it another way, two constraints are not rigidly ranked with respect to each other and overlapped in ranking. Therefore, Con A is followed or preceded by Con B. As such, this paper shows that OT can deal with diachronic changes as well.