On the basis of experimental data, the author makes the following observations: (1) the basic encoding processes in speech, the schemas of order, first produce elementary underlying sentences; (2) underlying sentence structure is the controlling step in the organization of speech; (3) underlying sentence structure plays a central role in regulating the duration of speech; (4) various processes that relate to speech take widely different amounts of time; (5) therefore, there is a definite correspondance between grammatical structure and linguistic performance. Tables containing data concerning temporal duration and a bibliography of references are included. (DD)