Introducing a function-based approach to linguistics, Runge explores New Testament Greek grammatical conventions by focusing on the communication tasks they accomplish. His study of the ways in which words are used in texts and contexts has less to do with the specifics of speech and more to do with how humans are wired to process it. Therefore, Runge looks at how all languages operate before focusing on Greek. This examination of linguistics in general simplifies the analytical process, and explains how and why we communicate as we do. Readers will learn that discourse analysis necessarily compliments today's formal approaches to linguistics, as they are simultaneously led to a more accurate description of biblical text. Book jacket.