Although the study of the acquisition of a first language has been split by a controversy between the "innatists" and the "behaviorists," neither group has given enough consideration to the relationship between language development and the other developments of the child (social, cognitive, and perceptual). This collection of readings links the development of language to the broader societal and functional aspects of language as actually used. The 21 selections are grouped under five topics: the social contexts of language; the functions of language in understanding the self, the world, and society; language and the development of thinking; the relationship of language and meaning; and the relationship between language and the environment. (RL)