Noting that whole language is fast becoming a driving philosophy behind curriculum development, this paper discusses the whole language approach as used in public school systems, adult basic education (ABE), and English as a Second Language (ESL). The paper begins with a short summary of socio-psycholinguistics (the theory upon which whole language philosophy is based) and then briefly addresses the influence John Dewey, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky have had upon whole language. The paper also offers some definitions of whole language from several educators. Following these definitions, the paper describes several principles of whole language philosophy (language is whole, written language is language, emphasis on meaning, and language is social), including examples from the classroom. The paper next discusses implications of whole language philosophy for the adult learner in ABE and ESL settings--whole language takes advantage of the wealth of experiences adult learners bring to the classroom; whole language in the classroom seems more "adult" than traditional methods of learning sight words or phonics; and a whole language approach uses authentic material, which is more interesting to adult learners than worksheets or basal readers. The paper concludes with a discussion of several concerns about whole language. Contains 20 references. A 37-item bibliography of books and journal articles (published between 1971 and 1994) organized alphabetically under various themes is attached. (RS)