Ibn Jinni

Abū l-Fatḥ ʿUthmān ibn Jinnī, widely known as Ibn Jinni (lit. 'Son of Gennaios'; 932–1002), was a prominent Arabic linguist, grammarian, and phonologist of Greek descent, renowned for his innovative contributions to Arabic grammar, morphology, and phonology. His work in linguistic philosophy and morphology played a significant role in advancing the study of theoretical linguistics 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.^[1]

Ibn Jinnī
Manuscript of Ibn Jinni's Al-Mu'arrab (406 AH) held by the King Abdulaziz Public Library, Riyadh. The manuscript, written in Maghribi script, is a commentary on the Qawafi of al-Akhfash.
Personal
Born	932 CE Mosul, Iraq
Died	1002 CE Baghdad, Iraq
Religion	Islam
Notable work(s)	al-Khasa'is
Teachers	Abu 'Ali al-Farisi, al-Akhfash, al-Mutanabbi
Occupation	Linguist, Grammarrian, Phonologist

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.^[2] Gennaios was a Greek slave owned by Sulayman ibn Fahd, the vizier to Qirwash ibn Muqallid, the 'Uqaylid governor of Mosul. ^[3] 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.

References

1. al-Hamawi, Yaqut (1993). Abbas, Ihsan (ed.). Mu'jam al-Udaba'. Vol. 4. Beirut: Dar al-Gharb al-Islami. p. 1585.
2. Ibn Māḳūlā, ʿAlī ibn Hibat Allāh (1962). al-Muʿallimī, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yaḥya (ed.). Al-Ikmāl fī Rafʿ al-Irtiyāb ʿan al-Muʾtalif wa-l-Mukhtalif fī al-Asmāʾ wa-l-Kunā wa-l-Ansāb. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Hyderabad: Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif al-ʿUthmānīyah. p. 585.
3. 'Abd al-Razzaq, Hasan Isma'il (1987). Khasa'is al-Nadhm (1st ed.). Cairo: Dar al-Tiba'a al-Mohamadiyya. p. 10.

Further reading

• Bernards, Monique (2021). "Ibn Jinnī". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam (3rd ed.). Brill Online. ISSN 1873-9830.