FG [Functional Grammar] intends to be a general, typologically adequate theory of the grammatical organization of natural languages. If this intention is to be fulfilled, its rules and principles must be formulated at a sufficient level of abstraction to be applicable to any language, whatever its typological status. Wherever certain linguistic facts are such that they cannot “naturally” be handled by means of the principles of FG, it is the theory, not the language in question, which will have to be adapted. In order to be applicable to languages of any arbitrary type, the theory must have a certain degree of abstractness. But in order to be practically applicable in the description of languages, the theory must be as concrete as possible: it must stay as close as possible to the linguistic facts as they present themselves in any language. This apparent paradox may also be formulated as follows: FG should strive for the lowest level of abstractness which is still compatible with the goal of typological adequacy.
- Dik (1989), a pag.15

FG [Functional Grammar] recognizes functional relations at three different levels: (i) “Semantic functions“ : Agent, Goal, Recipient. etc. (ii) “Syntactic functions“ : Subject and Object (iii) “Pragmatic functions“ :Theme, Topic, Focus, etc. […].
- Dik (1989), a pag.24