Concerned with educational problems associated with low socioeconomic status, this pilot study in linguistic ecology was designed to substitute hard data for speculation about the nature and frequency of verbal behavior in the world of the poor child. To avoid self-consciousness and any restrictions on movement of the subjects, a small microphone-transmitter was unobtrusively carried by two lower-class Negro 3-year-olds--a boy and a girl--which electronically monitored each child for 1 weekday and 1 weekend day in and around his home. Tape recorded transmissions included verbal behavior of the child and those with whom he interacted, and background talk and noises occurring in the child's immediate environment. The tapes were transcribed and analyzed, the child's network of verbal interaction and the frequency of interaction with others in the environment were determined, and context variables were examined. Resultant information suggests the need (1) to develop educational intervention programs which permit direct control of the environment at the preschool level, and (2) to promote the involvement of students of language in the functional, as opposed to formal, aspects of language. (Author/JMC)