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. . . . To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/