Adults' diaries: Changes made to written narratives across the life span

Abstract

Life‐span changes in adults’ narratives are described, based on a longitudinal sample of written language obtained from adults’ diaries. The diaries were kept by 8 adults, born between 1856 and 1876, over a 70‐year period from their early 20s to their late 80s. The analysis focuses on two aspects of written language: the complexity of the narrative structure and the cohesion of the text. Across the life span, the diarists’ narratives became structurally more complex, although they became less cohesive as ambiguous anaphors increased.