Three language models (Staats, Lenneberg, and Piaget) are reviewed, and implications for reading are suggested. Staats' behaviorist stance maintains that imitation, mediation, generalization, and discrimination are key concepts in language learning behavior. Critics contest the importance of these concepts and claim that behaviorists cannot fully account for language development. The biological theory presented by Lenneberg contends that language is a manifestation of innate species-specific propensities, that language develops in a fixed sequence, and that the crucial period for language development is between ages 2 and 4. Each of these claims is challenged by critics. Piaget maintains that language development comes only after a certain level of cognitive development is reached by the child. An enriched environment conducive to teaching the child to think is essential to language development. Critics of this theory suggest the need for more research concerning the relationship of language to cognition. Some contradictory implications of these models for reading are listed, and references are included. (AL)