In this article Halliday, questions the approach of language acquisition (syntax)with construction/semantics. He highlights that language is learnt through meaningful interaction with other people and making sense of the world in which we live is achieved through language. They key goal of interaction/making meaning is functional and communicative.
This article uses a high school science class to see how language was used to connect theory and practice. It draws on classroom data analysed from a functional linguistic perspective, exploring the nature of science as a socially constructed practice.