Prague functionalism is of importance both for analyzing language as a system linking expressions and meanings and for pragmatic studies of the interactive features of communication. It differs from other trends of structural linguistics by concentrating on semantic functions of language units and on pragmatic aspects of the use of language and of its varieties. Therefore the achievements of its classical period, although not stated in the shape of a fully explicit formal framework, still offer insights fruitful for inquiries into pragmatically oriented linguistic studies.