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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