Longest English sentence
Encyclopedia
There have been several claims for the longest sentence in the English language
. Claims revolve around the longest printed sentence, as there is no absolute limit on the length of a written English sentence; a sentence describing successive reading, for example, could be infinitely
long, and one concatenating clauses with grammatical conjunction
s such as and could go on as long as material may be supplied. Also, a way to extend sentences indefinitely is by the addition of modifiers and modifier clauses, such as
or of successive extensions of the form
which highlights the difference between linguistic performance
and linguistic competence
, because the language can support more variation than can reasonably be created or recorded. Therefore, at least one linguistics
textbook concludes that "there is no longest English sentence"
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Claims revolve around the longest printed sentence, as there is no absolute limit on the length of a written English sentence; a sentence describing successive reading, for example, could be infinitely
Infinity
Infinity is a concept in many fields, most predominantly mathematics and physics, that refers to a quantity without bound or end. People have developed various ideas throughout history about the nature of infinity...
long, and one concatenating clauses with grammatical conjunction
Grammatical conjunction
In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses together. A discourse connective is a conjunction joining sentences. This definition may overlap with that of other parts of speech, so what constitutes a "conjunction" must be defined for each...
s such as and could go on as long as material may be supplied. Also, a way to extend sentences indefinitely is by the addition of modifiers and modifier clauses, such as
- The mouse that the cat that the dog chased saw ran.
or of successive extensions of the form
- Someone thinks/knows/believes that someone thinks/knows/believes that...,
which highlights the difference between linguistic performance
Linguistic performance
In linguistics, performance has two senses:It is also one of the two elements in Chomsky's performance-competence distinction, which relates to Language production , with an emphasis upon how this is different from Competence, or the mental knowledge of language itself...
and linguistic competence
Linguistic competence
Linguistic competence is the system of linguistic knowledge possessed by native speakers of a language, it is in contrast to the concept of Linguistic performance, the way the language system is used in communication...
, because the language can support more variation than can reasonably be created or recorded. Therefore, at least one linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
textbook concludes that "there is no longest English sentence"
Contenders
- 469,375 words - Nigel Tomm's one-sentence novel, "The Blah Story"
- 1,288 words - The Guinness Book of World Records has an entry for what it claims is the longest sentence in English, from William Faulkner'sWilliam FaulknerWilliam Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
novel Absalom, Absalom!Absalom, Absalom!Absalom, Absalom! is a Southern Gothic novel by the American author William Faulkner, first published in 1936. It is a story about three families of the American South, taking place before, during, and after the Civil War, with the focus of the story on the life of Thomas Sutpen.-Plot...
. - 12,931 - The last section of James Joyce'sJames JoyceJames Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
UlyssesUlysses (novel)Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
, Molly Bloom's soliloquyMolly Bloom's SoliloquyMolly Bloom's soliloquy is presented in the eighteenth, and final, chapter of James Joyce's novel Ulysses. It is a compilation of the thoughts of Molly Bloom, the concert-singing wife of advertising agent Leopold Bloom, whose wanderings around Dublin are followed in much of the book...
, consists of two sentences. The first one is 11,282 words long, and the second is 12,931 words long. This held the record for the longest sentence until The Rotter's Club was published in 2001. - 13,955 - Jonathan CoeJonathan CoeJonathan Coe is an English novelist and writer. His work has an underlying preoccupation with political issues, although this serious engagement is often expressed comically in the form of satire. For example, What a Carve Up! reworks the plot of an old 1960s spoof horror film of the same name...
's 2001 novel The Rotters' Club contains a 13,955-word sentence. - 7,000 words- In a court order sentence to implicate 17 people in 2G scam by India's CBI Judge O.B. Saini in 2011.