LANGUAGE SAMPLES OF 20 NEGRO HEAD START CHILDREN IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WERE ANALYZED USING LEE'S (1966) DEVELOPMENTAL SENTENCE TYPES MODEL. THE TRANSFORMATIONS AND RESTRICTED FORMS OF THESE CHILDREN WERE THEN COMPARED WITH THE RESULTS THAT MENYUK (1964) OBTAINED FOR MIDDLE CLASS PRESCHOOLERS. RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE ECONOMICALLY DEPRIVED CHILD IS NOT DELAYED IN LANGUAGE ACQUISITION ALTHOUGH HE USES A QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT LANGUAGE SYSTEM THAN THAT OF HIS MIDDLE CLASS AGE MATE. HIS LANGUAGE CONTAINS MANY FORMS THAT ARE IDENTICAL TO STANDARD ENGLISH (THIS ACCOUNTS FOR THE PRESENCE OF ALL THE RESPONSE TYPES OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL SENTENCE TYPES MODEL), BUT HIS LANGUAGE ALSO CONTAINS MANY STRUCTURES WHICH ARE CONSIDERED TO BE RESTRICTED FORMS WHEN COMPARED TO STANDARD ENGLISH. HOWEVER, THESE FORMS ARE NOT ONLY ACCEPTABLE IN LOWER CLASS NEGRO DIALECT BUT ALSO INDICATE A LEVEL OF SYNTACTIC DEVELOPMENT WHERE TRANSFORMATIONS ARE BEING USED APPROPRIATELY. THE LOWER CLASS NEGRO CHILD IS USING THE SAME FORMS AS THE LOWER CLASS NEGRO ADULT AND THEREFORE INDICATING THAT HE HAS LEARNED THE FORMS OF HIS LINGUISTIC ENVIRONMENT. (AUTHOR/DO)