Chapter 2 response

In Chapter 2 of Writing Space, Bolter references “students of culture” such as Walter Ong and Jacques Derrida who assert that literate people “structure their speech as they do their writing,” claiming that literacy changes thought and speaking patterns in ways not usually explored. After reading this, I realized how true it is—I, without thinking, will structure my speech as I do my writing, “talking in sentences and even paragraphs.” I’ve never given this any thought, but these habits do seem to be directly influenced by my experience of literature (along with some cultural influences: it is considered correct and mature to speak in sentences).

With this in mind, how would people living before movable type speak? Would they have partitioned their spoken thoughts into sentences? How would writings of that time be different?