During the late 1970s and the 1980s, a number of linguists experimented with approaches which would, to a greater or lesser degree, see grammatical structure as being much more closely integrated with discourse functions, and perhaps even inseparable from them. According to the functional view, the structure of a language cannot be adequately understood if these pragmatic purposes are left out of consideration. In this view there is no room for such a thing as 'autonomous' syntax. On the contrary, to the extent that a clear division can be made between syntax and semantics, syntax is there for people to be able to form complex expressions by means of which complex meanings can be expressed, and such meanings are there for people to be able to communicate in differentiated ways. The study of syntax and semantics should be carried out against the background of the pragmatic conventions which determine the use of language in verbal interaction.
Syntax is subservient to semantics, and semantics is subservient to pragmatics.
Current Approaches to Syntax S. 45-75. A Study of the Relation Between Meaning and Form. Tense and Aspect Systems. The Case for Case. Functional Syntax and Universal Grammar.