the langlands-shahidi method over a global function field will be presented for the split classical groups. we will highlight the difficulties that arise in positive characteristic with local-global arguments. important applications to functoriality for generic representations of the split classical groups to an appropriate gl(n) are then obtained when the langlands-shahidi method is used together with a converse of cogdell and piatetski-shapiro. finally, we will mention how to go from the weak functorial lift to the strong lift. this has an important application to the ramanujan conjecture, due to the fact that it is a theorem of lafforgue for gl(n).