ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the Functional Grammar (FG) approach to the Arabic language. It discusses the application of the theory of FG to describe and analyze various aspects of the Arabic language, both the classical and modern varieties. FG is one of the pragmatically-based and Function-Form oriented linguistic theories whose objective is to describe and explain the structure of natural languages conceived of as instruments of social interaction. The chapter describes the implementation of FG in the synchronic and diachronic description of Arabic as well as to its use in the re-examination of the Arabic Grammatical Tradition and its possible functional 're-interpretations'. It briefly outlines the diachronic and comparative Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG) approach to Arabic. The chapter discusses three types of linguistic change: from lexicon to morphology, from morphology to syntax, and structural shifts.
