Functional Grammar

The main characteristics and central issues of functional grammar are presented in this book, and the analyses of language structure it proposes are set in the context of other grammatical frameworks to enable the reader to critically assess its position within linguistic theory.

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"Functional Grammar" offers a coherent and explicit model of grammar which aims to provide a complete account of sentence structure from the underlying semantic representation to the surface phonetic form. It aligns itself to the functional view of the nature of language which considers communication to be the primary function of language. It opposes the formalist approaches, exemplified by the work of Chomsky, which conceive of language in purely cognitive terms. This book introduces "functional grammar" to a wider audience. The range of subjects covered by the book correspond to the new version of functional grammar proposed by Simon Dik, its founder and leading theorist. The book takes a comparative approach to functional grammar, situating it in the context of other theoretical frameworks by pointing out the advantages, disadvantages and consequences of various analyses, as well as emphasizing the similarities and differences between functional grammar and its competitors. Anna Siewierska uses this approach to consider functional grammar's more controversial aspects, raising awkward questions about its functional nature.
This book should be of interest to advanced students and teachers of linguistics.