This paper proposes a theory on how language functions for the child and in what sequence these functions develop. The notion of communicative intention is contrasted with grammatical categories and with the goal of an utterance. Finally, communicative intentions and goals of utterances are contrasted with the innumerable pragmatic purposes which accompany speech. Together these functions, along with the grammatical components of the sentence, constitute the total speech act which is taken to be the fundamental unit of linguistic communication. The data reported suggest that various intentions gradually become "grammaticalized" or "lexicalized" in the course of language development. It is concluded that communicative intentions and other functional aspects of language play a greater role in the organization and choice of utterances than has been supposed by grammatical theories of language development. (Author/RB)