--- Forwarded Message from Ursula Williams <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1999 14:29:53 -0500
>To: [log in to unmask]
>From: Ursula Williams <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: words per minute measure?

Hi fellow LLTIers. In my continuing quest to get the Weird Question Award
for 1999, and fully aware that time is running out, I present:

Is there a way to get word-per minute ratings across languages? Obviously
one could use a tape, a transcript, and a stopwatch. But let me explain. I
have a colleague who wants to include in a forthcoming book the idea that
Russian newscasts now proceed at a faster wpm rate than before, and
possibly faster than American ones. There is evidence that Russian
broadcasters actually set this as a goal. When we discussed it, it occurred
to me that wpm may not be an accurate measure, as "a" would count as much
as "Perestroika".  Really it might be a question of syntactical units, I
figured. I know this is kinda "fringy" for the usual concerns in this
forum, but is anyone aware of studies that venture into this area?

One thing interesting about this is the psychological effect of a newscast
hurtling along at breakneck speed. I bet it induces a lot of anxiety.

Ursula

PS: Please be assured, that, even though Robert Lavelle informed me this
morning that I would be eating my neighbors in less than a month, I have no
such plans.