A project designed (1) to determine the incidence of vocalism during silent reading in intermediate-grade children classified as either reading retardates or achievers and (2) to determine the desirability of this vocalism as an adjunct to the reading process was described. The major conclusions reached were that implicit speech is a natural adjunct of the reading process, that it is a residue of initially learned oral language patterns, and that it is often used as an additional sensory input. Implications drawn from the study were: (1) that no inhibitory measures should be taken to cause a decrement in manifestation; (2) that implicit speech may be a frame of reference for validating written language patterns as consonant with oral language; (3) that organization of an optimal reading environment conducive to maturity is a sound method for causing a decrement in implicit speech manifestation; (4) that a basal program emphasizing phonics does not result in an undue manifestation of recorded implicit speech; and (5) that mechanically presented reading material may result in greater implicit speech manifestation. A bibliography and three appendixes containing raw data, tests used for population identification, and sample myographic materials are included. (Author/MKD)