According to the document, learning the English language is comparable to learning a foreign language for the American Indian child. Thus, a brief history of the Indians of New Mexico is given in order to emphasize language differences and problems arising in learning a new tongue. As pointed out, second-language learning requires a change in pattern of intonation, stress, rhythm, and meanings in addition to the phonemes. Major linguistic families of the American Indians in New Mexico are discussed, thereby pointing up problematic areas which could relate to academic difficulties for the American Indian. It is believed that the monolingual Indian 6-year-old, entering school for the first time, is at a great disadvantage when compared with an English-speaking 6-year-old entering the same school and having a listening vocabulary of perhaps 8,000 to 10,000 English words. (EL)