The papers reflect on «visions» and «revisions» of selected theoretical and applied linguistic issues. Methodologically, they all reflect and contribute to the polarization between form- and substance-oriented approaches that are typically identified with, respectively, structural and functional paradigms. The diversity of standpoints exemplified and the divergence of operational tools employed make the volume a representative spectrum of the on-going developments in how language is conceptualized and analyzed as both an abstract entity and as a medium of communication, language teaching and learning included. For this reason, the readers will find as much of structural considerations as of functional reflections and practical applications.