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I propose to demonstrate that a functional approach to grammar is not necessarily a contemporary notion. In fact, in Arab history Abdulqaher Aljurjani, an Arab philologist who lived in the ninth century, proposed a functional interpretation of grammar. In his study of linguistics, Aljurjani concentrated on treating language as a primary mode of communication in which the dynamic structure of the communicative functions of language provides the speaker with all the necessary means of self-expression. To solve the problem of form-function association, Aljurjani made clear it that the focus of the linguistic study should be on the way language forms function pragmatically in different contexts of use. I will discuss Aljurjani approach to grammar and give some examples of his functional interpretation.

Aljurjani treats language as a combination of linguistic relations, not as a combination of words. Consequently, in the process of constructing linguistic elements, or in the process of sentence formation, "the parts [of the sentence] are considered in relation to one another. That is to say, the final meaning of the sentence is determined by the nature of relations that the speaker builds among the meanings of the words used in the sentence. Construction then is not concerned with grouping and joining words in an arbitrary way. Construction is a process of building relations among words in which "there is a reason for putting a certain unit in a definite place, so much so that if the unit was placed in a different position, it would not fit" (Aljurjani qtd. in Abu Deeb 40).

The degree of power, expressiveness, and creativity of words can not be determined when they stay isolated. Only when they interact with each other according to certain grammatical relations can we identify and analyze their aspects of power, expressiveness, and creativity. Contextual elements, linguistic dimensions, and extra linguistic factors can all contribute to creating further aspects of beauty and eloquence in discourse. Through this method of analysis Aljrjani introduced the concept of "wholeness" with which he explained the important steps to understand and value pieces of discourse