This study considers the occurrence of noun plural marker deletion in black English. It questions the cause of the phenomenon and investigates four factors which could be involved: presence or absence of a quantifier expression, phonological constraints, age of the speaker, and interaction between quantifier expressions and phonological environment. A sentence imitation test provides the material for consideration of each area. This report describes previous studies and theories concerning the problem. It discusses the subjects, materials, and procedures for the present investigation and analyzes the results and implications. Directions for further study are provided and examples of sentences used in the imitation test are listed. A bibliography is included. (VM)