In this paper it is demonstrated that far from being simply in free variation, the linear position of parentheticals may be used for discourse processing purposes. The argument is made that when they occupy second position, parentheticals are functional in establishing a link between the utterance in which they occur and the prior context. This linking is the result of the segmentation of the relevant utterance into distinct processing units through a proper utilization of the intonational properties of the parentheticals, irrespective of their semantic or discourse-functional role.