This study examined the impact of play context on the speech of mothers and children. It was expected that the types of speech produced by both children and mothers when they played with toys that involve fine motor manipulation would differ from the speech produced when they played with toys that involve gross motor play. Sixteen children (eight boys and eight girls) of 18 to 30 months of age, and their mothers, were visited in their homes by a researcher. A motor skills scale measured the children's level of motor development. Mother and child were asked to play with toys provided by the experimenter. One group of toys elicited fine motor play and another elicited gross motor play. The interaction was videotaped and coded for language variables. As expected, motor context made a difference in the types of speech produced by both mother and child. Several issues regarding interpretations and implications of the results are considered. Appended are eight references and related materials. (GLR)