THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER IS TO DISCUSS THE POSSIBILITY THAT SOME LINGUISTIC UNIVERSALS ARE, IN FACT, THE INEVITABLE RESULT OF UNIVERSAL MENTAL CAPACITIES. ONE SUCH UNIVERSAL IS SUGGESTED, AND THE ENTIRE QUESTION IS CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF CERTAIN THEORIES OF INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT--MAINLY PIAGET'S, AND SECONDARILY BRUNER'S AND VYGOTSKY'S. THE CONCLUSION DRAWN IS THAT THE LIGHT IS ALL POINTED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. THE PAPER IS BASED ON A LECTURE GIVEN TO THE INSTITUTE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, APRIL 1967, AND ALSO APPEARS IN "STUDIES IN LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGE BEHAVIOR, PROGRESS REPORT V," SEPTEMBER 1, 1967. (AUTHOR/AMM)