ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores systemic functional linguistics (SFL) in its functional and systemic backgrounds by considering the historical place of SFL among functional theories of language and by evaluating 'system' vs 'systemicity' in terms of a theory of systemics. It examines the theoretical place of the context of culture within SFL by considering the complex interactions of language and society. The book also explores the interface between SFL and other theories, but it concerns cognitive science. It addresses two main SFL applications in educational settings, namely models of register and register variation and models of functional grammar. The book addresses the challenges that Tunisian learners face in the translation of nominal groups from English to Arabic, hypothesizing that these difficulties are mainly due to the lack of equivalence in experiential classification and patterns of modification across the two languages.
