Aha! I googled my desktop and found notes:
Idea units, as defined by Wallace L. Chafe, are segments of discourse
that coincide with a speaker's focus of attention. The speaker's focus
of attention is reflected in spontaneous speech, which is produced "not
in a flowing stream but in a series of brief spurts," (Chafe 13) or idea
units. These spurts are marked by intonation (pitch either rises or
falls), by pauses, and by syntax (an idea unit is often a single
clause).
Chafe, Wallace L. “Integration and Involvement in Speaking, Writing, and
Oral Literature.” In D. Tannen (Ed.) Spoken and Written Language:
Exploring Orality and Literacy. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1982. 35-53.
I don't know if that's what you were thinking of, Herb, but it's what I
was thinking of, at least. whew.
Beth
>>> "STAHLKE, HERBERT F" <[log in to unmask]> 11/17/09 8:47 PM >>>
i'm not certain, but it sounds like something Chafe would have said.
Herb
Herbert F. W. Stahlke, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of English
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306
[log in to unmask]
________________________________________
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Beth Young [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: November 17, 2009 11:06 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: A Sentence Is Not a Complete Thought
Herb, this rings distant bells for me, too. Maybe Wallace Chafe? I
wish I could google my own brain. (though it has much less in it than
the real google)
Beth
>>> "STAHLKE, HERBERT F" <[log in to unmask]> 11/16/09 11:06 PM >>>
I read a study a long time ago, long enough that I don't remember
anything about the author or source, that argued that the sentence in
spoken language tends to be bound to the breath group. That is, a
sentence is what you can say in one breath. . . .
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