Turning Points in Arabic Grammar: Abū ʿUthmān al-Māzinī as a Case Study

Abstract

This study aims to outline a conceptual curve illustrating the emergence and development of Arabic grammar. It highlights a matter of great importance in grounding grammatical thought: identifying the turning points between one stage and another. Since the full scope of this idea exceeds the limits of this paper, the discussion is restricted to a significant turning point in Arabic grammar that separates two important phases: the phase of maturity and differentiation, and the phase of authorship and systematic composition. This will be examined through the scholarly figure of the grammarian Abū ʿUthmān al-Māzinī.
The study also points to al-Māzinī’s distinctive perspective regarding Qurʾānic readings as well as some of his grammatical views scattered throughout well-known grammatical works.