TO TEST THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE READING PROCESS IS A NATURAL EMERGENCE OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, A HYPOTHETICAL STRUCTURE WAS DEVISED TO RECAPITULATE THE PROCESS THAT IT IS ASSUMED THE CHILD GOES THROUGH. EACH OF 25 PRINTED WORD SYMBOLS WAS PRESENTED IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER--(1) A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SYMBOL IN ITS NATURAL SETTING, (2) A DRAWING OF THE SYMBOL IN ITS NATURAL SETTING, (3) A DRAWING OF THE SYMBOL IN ITS IMMEDIATE SETTING, AS STOP ON A STOP SIGN, (4) THE SYMBOL PRINTED IN ISOLATION, (5) THE SYMBOL PRINTED IN SENTENCE CONTEXT, AND (6) THE SYMBOL PRINTED IN STORY CONTEXT. THE TEST WAS ADMINISTERED INDIVIDUALLY AND ORALLY TO 82 4-YEAR- OLDS, 76 5-YEAR-OLDS, AND 71 6-YEAR-OLDS. SEVENTEEN OF THE 229 SUBJECTS READ ALL OF THE ITEMS, 109 READ SOME, AND 103 COULD NOT READ ANY OF THE ITEMS. OLDER CHILDREN READ MORE ITEMS THAN YOUNGER CHILDREN. EARLY READERS HAD HIGHER MEAN IQ SCORES THAN NONREADERS AND WERE LARGELY FROM HIGHER SOCIOECONOMIC LEVELS. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE (BOSTON, APRIL 24-27, 1968). (RJ)