The question of the relationship between children's play and more formal, literate uses of language is explored in the 9 studies described in this volume. Chapter titles and authors are as follows: (1) "The Influence of Discourse Content and Context on Preschoolers' Use of Language" (Lucia A. French, Joan Lucariello, Susan Seidman, and Katherine Nelson); (2) "Being and Becoming: The Interface of Language and Family Role Knowledge in the Pretend Play of Young African American Girls" (Vonnie C. McLoyd, Shirley Aisha Ray, and Gwendolyn Etter-Lewis); (3) "Narratives in Preschoolers' Sociodramatic Play: The Role of Knowledge and Communicative Competence" (Jacqueline Sachs, Jane Goldman, and Christine Chaille); (4) "The Origins of Autonomous Texts in Play Boundaries" (Dennis P. Wolf and James Pusch); (5) "Relations Between Preschool Children's Symbolic Play and Literate Behavior" (Anthony D. Pellegrini); (6) "Preschool Children's Narratives: Linking Story Comprehension, Production, and Play Discourse" (Marilyn Guttman and Carl H. Frederiksen); (7) "Play Beyond Play: Its Role in Formal Informative Speech" (Mary Ann Evans); (8) "Narrative Play in Second Language Learning" (Shirley Brice Heath with Hey-Kyeong Chin); and (9) "Assessing Children's Knowledge About Book Reading" (Catherine Snow, Debra Nathan, and Rivka Perlman). Author and subject indexes are included. (EL)