lpetrich
Contributor
Originally from Secular Cafe and rewritten a bit.
The Rise and Fall of the English Sentence - Nautilus | Science Connected
Author Julie Sedivy parses into clauses the first sentence of the US Declaration of Independence.
The Rise and Fall of the English Sentence - Nautilus | Science Connected
Author Julie Sedivy parses into clauses the first sentence of the US Declaration of Independence.
I'll show this parsing as an indented list:When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people [to dissolve the political bands [which have connected them with another]] and [to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station [to which the laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them]]], a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires [that they should declare the causes [which impel them to the separation.
- When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people
- to dissolve the political bands
- which have connected them with another
- to dissolve the political bands
- and
- to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station
- to which the laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them,
- to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station
- a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires
- that they should declare the causes
- which impel them to the separation.
- that they should declare the causes
Noam Chomsky has pointed to such recursive clause combination as a hallmark of human language. However, speakers of many languages prefer to string together simple clauses, and they may lack multiclause features like relative pronouns (which, that) and clause connectors (if, despite, although).An iconic sentence, this. But how did it ever make its way into the world? At 71 words, it is composed of eight separate clauses, each anchored by its own verb, nested within one another in various arrangements. The main clause (a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires ) hangs suspended above a 50-word subordinate clause that must first be unfurled. Like an intricate equation, the sentence exudes a mathematical sophistication, turning its face toward infinitude.
So how might the first sentence in the US DoI go with such syntax? JS doesn't try, but I will try. I also modernized some of the language.Many of the worlds oral languages are quite unlike European languages. Their sentences contain few words. They rarely combine more than one clause. Linguist Marianne Mithun has noted some striking differences: In English, 34 percent of clauses in conversational American English are embedded clauses. In Mohawk (spoken in Quebec), only 7 percent are. Gunwinggu (an Australian language) has 6 percent and Kathlamet (formerly spoken in Washington state) has only 2 percent.
In the course of human events, it is sometimes necessary to do very big things. Things like cutting the political bonds that tie one people to another. Also giving oneself a separate and equal position among the nations of the Earth. A position that the laws of Nature and Nature's God entitle them to have. A decent respect for the opinions of humanity requires them to state their reasons for making this change.