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. . . . 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/ 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/