al-Alfaz al-Mahmuza
- Author died
- 392 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Fikr
al-Alfaz al-Mahmuza (The Hamzated Words) is an Arabic linguistic and orthographic treatise by the grammarian and philologist Ibn Jinni (d. 392 AH / 1002 CE).
Purpose and Scope
Ibn Jinni composed the work specifically for scribes, noting that the words containing a hamza (al-alfaz al-mahmuza) included in the treatise are in frequent use and essential for a writer's craft. He organized the material in alphabetical order according to the standard dictionary sequence to facilitate easy reference, deliberately omitting obscure or archaic vocabulary (al-wahshi al-gharib).
Structure and Content
The treatise begins with an alphabetical catalog of hamzated verbs and expressions:
- Alphabetical Chapters: Each letter of the alphabet is assigned a section. Letters under which no words are recorded—such as alif, ghayn, and ya'—are designated as muhmal (unrepresented). The text lists common verbs containing hamza alongside brief definitions where necessary.
- Verbal Nouns (Masadir): Following the alphabetical list, Ibn Jinni includes examples of verbal nouns formed from hamzated roots, such as taqayyu', talakku', and tammarru'.
- Orthography of Terminal Hamza: A dedicated section outlines the spelling rules when a hamza appears at the end of a word (written over ya' or alif), explaining how these letters remain fixed in pausing (waqf) and the jussive mood (jazm).
- Rules on Shortened (Maqsur) and Elongated (Mamdud) Forms: The author details the orthographic conventions for triliteral and non-triliteral nouns and verbs ending in alif, distinguishing between words rooted in waw and ya', as well as their forms when suffixed with pronouns. He also treats particles (such as bala, hatta, ila, and 'ala) and nunated mamdud nouns.
- Guiding Principles (Fasl min al-Maqayis): The book concludes with practical rules of thumb for uncertain scribes: if uncertain whether a word is shortened or elongated, it should be written as maqsur, as shortening an elongated word is permissible whereas elongating a shortened one is an error; if uncertain whether a three-letter root derives from ya' or waw, it should be spelled with an alif; and if uncertain about gender, the masculine form should be preferred, as masculinity and shortened forms represent the baseline original state (asl).
Transmission and Editions
Manuscripts of al-Alfaz al-Mahmuza have been preserved in historical compendia, including a sixth-century AH manuscript held at the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus. The text has been printed several times, including editions in Cairo (1343 AH), Damascus (1366 and 1409 AH), and Jeddah (1407 AH). It was also edited by Salah al-Din al-Munajjid and published within a volume titled Thalath Rasa'il fi al-Lugha in Beirut in 1981.
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