THE HIDDEN INFLUENCE OF LINGUISTICS ON THE GRAMMATICAL STUDY OF MAHDI AL-MAKHZOUMI: AN ANALYSIS OF HIS BOOK IN ARABIC GRAMMAR: CRITICISM AND GUIDANCE

Abstract

This paper examines the pioneering and distinctive project for evaluating,
reforming, and simplifying Arabic grammar presented by the Iraqi scholar Mahdi Al
Makhzoumi in his seminal work, Fī al-Naḥw al-ʿArabī: Naqd wa-Tawjīh (In Arabic
Grammar: Criticism and Guidance). This critical and evaluative project offered
numerous noteworthy proposals and solutions to many complex and problematic issues
in the Arabic grammatical tradition (al-naḥw al-ʿarabī), which Al-Makhzoumi viewed
as suffering from inconsistency and a lack of clarity. His endeavour represented a
comprehensive attempt to reform both the subject matter and the methodology of Arabic
grammar, aiming to serve the language and facilitate its teaching and learning. The
central hypothesis of this study is that Al-Makhzoumi’s project was shaped by a hidden
influence of modern linguistics, specifically the descriptive approach, despite the
traditional, heritage-based guise (ḥillah turāthiyyah) that the work assumed. This paper
analyzes the indicators and features of this subtle linguistic influence on Al
Makhzoumi’s grammatical discourse.