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markedness constraint

/ˈmɑrkədnəs kənˈstɹeɪnt/

markedness constraint noun: in Optimality Theory, universal features that languages prefer to keep unviolated.

Noun

markedness constraint (plural markedness constraints)

  1. In Optimality Theory, universal features that languages prefer to keep unviolated.
    • the lack of codas is a markedness constraint that English violates, but Samoan keeps intact all the time.

Forms of markedness constraint

pluralmarkedness constraints

Origin of markedness constraint

From markedness + constraint.

Questions about markedness constraint

What does markedness constraint mean?
Markedness constraint means in Optimality Theory, universal features that languages prefer to keep unviolated.
What part of speech is markedness constraint?
Markedness constraint is a noun.
How do you pronounce markedness constraint?
Markedness constraint is pronounced /ˈmɑrkədnəs kənˈstɹeɪnt/.
What is the plural of markedness constraint?
The plural of markedness constraint is markedness constraints.

Words near markedness constraint in the dictionary

  1. marked up
  2. marked with a white stone
  3. marked-up
  4. markedly
  5. markedness
  6. markedness constraint
  7. markedness constraints
  8. markednesses
  9. markee
  10. markees
  11. Markel

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: markedness constraint (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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