The purpose of this study was to synthesize theories and known facts of language acquisitions provided by transformation-generative grammarians and the cognitive theories of Piaget and Vygotsky into a unified theory and to suggest a partial model of the reading process. Review and analysis of transformational-generative theory strongly indicate that the more recent development of semantic theory expanded and enriched Chomsky's (1965) syntractic theory, bringing it closer to the realm of biologically based cognitive functioning developed by Piaget. The transformational-generative linguists and cognitive theorists provided the theoretical bases for the three components of adult linguistic functioning. It was then postulated that external reading behaviors, like external language behaviors, are acquired through Piaget's processes of assimilation, accommodation, and equilibrium. With the establishment of external speech which provides the basis for the acquisition of external reading behaviors, followed by the establishment of inner speech which provides the basis for reading as a process of translation to inner speech, reading consists of transforming the syntactic structure of external speech into meaning of words and finally into the full sense and meaning of complex thought. (Author/RB)