ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the role of temporal indicators in the segmentation of narratives. It introduces the concept of segmentation markers and considers their discourse function. Punctuation marks are certainly the best prototype of segmentation markers. To test the prediction that speakers and writers use the various temporal expressions described here to highlight the structure of their discourse; the structure must be examined independently. A more efficient way to gather such data is to use a task that permits the determination of the complete hierarchical structure perceived by each subject. The chapter reports on a series of studies that showed that speakers and writers, as young as 9 years old, used temporal expressions to highlight the structure of their narratives. This organization was derived from the study of a specific type of narrative, although it can be generalized to other types of narratives and to other types of discourse.
