Satsflöde

Satsflöde is a term used in linguistics to describe the flow of sentences or propositions in a text or spoken discourse. It concerns how sentences are ordered and paced to create coherence, momentum, and intelligibility. The concept applies to both written and spoken language and includes aspects such as sentence length, syntactic complexity, pause placement, and the progression of ideas.

In analysis, satsflöde is studied through discourse analysis, corpus statistics, and prosody. Key measures include average sentence length, clause density, the balance between simple and complex sentences, and the distribution of pauses. Readability is often assessed with Swedish metrics such as LIX, which combines sentence length and word complexity to indicate how easy a text is to understand.

Practically, satsflöde influences readability and listener or reader engagement. A varied flow that alternates short, direct sentences with longer, more complex ones can aid emphasis and retention, while a monotonous rhythm may hinder comprehension. In text design and editing, controlling satsflöde helps shape tone, pace, and accessibility.

Applications of satsflöde span journalism, education, user experience writing, and speech technologies. Writers may adjust satsflöde to suit audience and medium; in speech synthesis, modulating prosody to reflect satsflöde can improve naturalness, clarity, and perceived fluency.