2.12 Conclusion

Functional grammar offers language/literacy educators a new way of conceptualizing grammar and operationalizing it for pedagogical purposes. This chapter presents key principles and major concepts related to functional grammar. As should now be evident from the foregoing presentation, functional grammar is concerned with structure, system, function, and meaning related to language use. It sees grammar not as a set of prescriptive rules governing use, but rather a network of interrelated choices and a creative, communicative resource for making meaning. As such, functional grammar is essentially a "natural" grammar in that everything in it can ultimately be explained by reference to how language is used (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014). Its metalanguage helps us objectively analyze language use, revealing not only the meanings (and contexts) being construed in language but also how language is organized to make those meanings. From this perspective, functional grammar can be a powerful pedagogical tool for teaching reading and writing, both constructive processes of making meaning (comprehending/interpreting vs. designing). In the rest of the book, we exemplify how functional grammar can be used to promote language learning and advanced literacy development in the context of English education.(https://www.daowen.com)