This paper describes the communicative function of language in a monolingual public school kindergarten. The study was based on observations of classroom communication and interviews with the teacher. The paper describes the speech of students and the teacher during different segments of the school day, and presents an analysis of 290 speech acts transcribed during observations of circle time, math time, and free time activities. The speech acts were categorized by communicative function, based on Saville-Troike's six categories: (1) directive; (2) expressive; (3) metalinguistic; (4) phatic; (5) poetic; and (6) referential. The study found that members of the class were most likely to engage in directive communication or to communicate factual information to one another. They were less likely to use speech as a means of personal expression, to show group solidarity, or simply as language play. (MDM)