Optimality Theory has revolutionized phonological theory, and its insights are now being applied to other central aspects of language. With contributors that include the leading researchers in the field, this book presents the first fruits of such research as applied to syntax and to language acquisition, as well as considering the main lines of attack on OT by rule-based grammarians.

This work covers topics such as chronic low back pain and psychosocial and functional risk factors in the early stages of back pain. It also talks about the relationship between musculoskeletal diseases and mobility among non-disabled elderly people.