> Herb,

The Policeman sentence is an excellent example -- one that you can still
just say with understanding.  Again one has to gabble 'the dog bit' at a
very low level of pitch, and pause momentarily after 'called'.  The 'House
that Jack built' example is made more difficult at every level when the
repetition of 'ate' kicks in.

Bruce is clearly right over the part played by intonation here.  I don't
know of any studies -- they are obviously called for.  Whether intonation
can be neatly quantified is another matter -- for one thing, consider how to
invest what you are saying with an ironic tone, or one of disbelief, or of
boredom, etc. -- or perhaps you have to leave moods on one side and stick
with grammatical effects.

Edmond


Dr. Edmond Wright
3 Boathouse Court
Trafalgar Road
Cambridge
CB4 1DU
England

Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/elw33/
Phone [00 44] (0)1223 350256




I wish I were still teaching so I could use that one.  My favorite had
> been "The policeman the boy the dog bit called came," but Jack's
> left-branching house beats that one hands down.
> 
> Herb
> 

> 
>

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