A computer-assisted analysis of samples of free speech from acute schizophrenics (n = 50), chronic schizophrenics (n = 27) and normal subjects (n = 50) enabled a comparison of the linguistic profiles of the three groups. The chronic group consistently emerged as the most impaired, on measures of complexity, integrity (error) and fluency of speech, with the acute patients performing less well than normal speakers but better than chronic patients. Demographic differences could account for only a small number of the linguistic differences. A comparison of chronic schizophrenics from the community and those from long-stay wards suggested that their poor linguistic performance was in some way related to the illness process and not to institutionalisation. Three possible explanations for these results were considered, particularly the possibility that low complexity of speech, negative symptoms and poor outcome are in some way related.