This study examined the relationship between early language measures and kindergarten literacy measures for children from 40 low-income families. Early literacy measures were based on conversations between mother and child during a book-reading session; the child's report of an event as elicited by the mother; and mealtime. Conversations were recorded at home when the child was 3 and 4 years old. Literacy outcomes were measured by: (1) the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT); (2) the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (TONI); (3) the Comprehensive Assessment Program (CAP) of the Early Childhood Diagnostic Instrument; and (4) instruments that assessed decontextualized oral language skills, including picture description, word definition, narrative construction, and story comprehension. These tests were administered in the home when the child was 5 years old. There were correlations between: (1) the elicited report index and word definition and narrative construction; (2) explanatory talk at mealtime and the PPVT and picture description; (3) narrative talk at mealtime and story comprehension; and (4) various measures of nonimmediate utterances during book reading and CAP scores, story comprehension, and narrative construction. Results support a multicomponential view of language. A reference list of 22 items is included. (BC)