Heavy Use as a Grammatical Justification in Ibn Al-Shajari's Amali (d. 542 AH): A Descriptive and Analytical Study of Selected Models

Abstract

This research examines the rule of "frequent usage" (Kathrat Al-Isti'mal) as one of the most prominent grammatical justifications relied upon by Arab grammarians to account for phonetic, morphological, and syntactic rulings. The study traces the applications and occurrences of this justification in Al-Amali by Ibn Al-Shajari (d. 542 AH). It demonstrates how he utilized the high frequency of words and structures in spoken Arabic as a valid linguistic rationale for introducing structural changes—most notably mechanisms of elision (al-hadhf) and phonetic reduction (al-takhfif).