Abū l-Fatḥ ʿUthmān ibn Jinnī, widely known as Ibn Jinni (; 932–1002), was an Arabic linguist, grammarian, and phonologist of Greek descent, renowned for his innovative contributions to Arabic

grammar In linguistics, grammar is the set of rules for how a natural language is structured, as demonstrated by its speakers or writers. Grammar rules may concern the use of clauses, phrases, and words. The term may also refer to the study of such rul ...

, morphology, and

phonology Phonology (formerly also phonemics or phonematics: "phonemics ''n.'' 'obsolescent''1. Any procedure for identifying the phonemes of a language from a corpus of data. 2. (formerly also phonematics) A former synonym for phonology, often pre ...

. His work in linguistic philosophy and morphology played a significant role in advancing the study of

theoretical linguistics Theoretical linguistics is a term in linguistics that, like the related term general linguistics, can be understood in different ways. Both can be taken as a reference to the theory of language, or the branch of linguistics that inquires into the ...

in Arabic. His most influential work, al-Khasā'is ("The Characteristics"), delves into the origins of the Arabic language, analogical reasoning in grammar, and the philosophical underpinnings of linguistic theory. Ibn Jinni's contributions profoundly expanded the study of Arabic linguistics to include phonetics and morphophonology, marking a significant advancement in the field. He studied for 40 years under the renowned grammarian Abu Ali al-Farisi and was closely associated with the poet al-Mutanabbi. Ibn Jinni distinguished himself as the inaugural commentator on al-Mutanabbi’s poems, setting a foundational precedent in literary analysis and criticism. Serving as a scholar in the Buwayhid court, Ibn Jinni's influence extended beyond academia, cementing his role as a key figure in the development of Arabic linguistic thought.

Name

The name "Jinni" is an arabised form of the Greek name Gennaios (γενναῖος), meaning "noble" or "of noble birth." Ibn Jinni himself mentioned his father was named "fāḍilan" (noble) in Greek ("bi-l-rūmiyyah"), referring to the language of the Greek-speaking Byzantines who self-identified as ''Rhōmaîoi'', or Romans. Gennaios was a freed Greek slave owned by Sulayman ibn Fahd, the vizier to Qirwash ibn Muqallid, the ' Uqaylid governor of

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

. It is important to note that "Jinni" here in Ibn Jinni's name should not be confused with the singular form ("jinni") of the collective

Jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

Name

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Further reading