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“Why Have Sentence Lengths Decreased?” by Arjun Panickssery

Apr 4, 2025

Join Arjun Panickssery, an insightful author known for his exploration of language trends, as he delves into the evolution of sentence lengths. He uncovers fascinating historical shifts, showing how classic literature featured long, intricate sentences while modern writing favors brevity for better comprehension. Arjun discusses how societal factors, such as rising literacy and the influence of journalism, have shaped our approach to writing, making it more accessible and engaging than ever.

09:08

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Arjun Panickssery

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Quick takeaways

The average sentence length in writing has significantly decreased over centuries, influenced by changes in reading habits and communication forms.

The trend towards shorter sentences is shaped by journalism's emphasis on brevity and the evolving literacy levels of modern readers.

Deep dives

Historical Decline of Sentence Lengths

Sentence lengths have experienced a significant decline over the centuries, as evidenced by historical data from renowned authors and various forms of media. For instance, the average sentence length for prominent writers like Chaucer and Dickenson was considerably higher, often exceeding 40 words per sentence, while modern authors like J.K. Rowling average around 12. This trend extends to formal political discourse, where the average word count per sentence in presidential addresses has halved since the 1800s. Such metrics indicate that this pattern of shorter sentences predated even the advent of modern communication technologies like television and the internet, showcasing a long-standing shift in writing style across various formats and genres.

The Evolution of Sentence Lengths in Literature and Speech

7min

Evolution of Sentence Structure and Readability

2min

“In the loveliest town of all, where the houses were white and high and the elms trees were green and higher than the houses, where the front yards were wide and pleasant and the back yards were bushy and worth finding out about, where the streets sloped down to the stream and the stream flowed quietly under the bridge, where the lawns ended in orchards and the orchards ended in fields and the fields ended in pastures and the pastures climbed the hill and disappeared over the top toward the wonderful wide sky, in this loveliest of all towns Stuart stopped to get a drink of sarsaparilla.”
— 107-word sentence from Stuart Little (1945)

Sentence lengths have declined. The average sentence length was 49 for Chaucer (died 1400), 50 for Spenser (died 1599), 42 for Austen (died 1817), 20 for Dickens (died 1870), 21 for Emerson (died 1882), 14 [...]

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First published:
April 3rd, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/xYn3CKir4bTMzY5eb/why-have-sentence-lengths-decreased

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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