The sin of grammatical error

A Cultural-Critical Approach to the Issue of Lahn in Al-Jahiz’s Al-Bayan wa al-Tabyin

Abstract

This article presents a cohesive analysis of lahn (linguistic error) in al-Jāḥiẓ’s al-Bayān wa-l-tabyīn, emphasizing the importance of situating the topic within the book’s broader aims, al-Jāḥiẓ’s intellectual project, and the cultural context that shaped it, rather than treating it as a series of isolated remarks.The article concludes that al-Jāḥiẓ weaves the theme of lahn into a broader narrative structure in al-Bayān wa-l-tabyīn. Drawing on his expansive cultural perspective, al-Jāḥiẓ highlights the growing preoccupation with prosecuting linguistic error in Arab society and the tendency to amplify both its material and symbolic penalties. Furthermore, he anticipates the rise of a new urban environment that mitigates the constraints imposed by Bedouin cultural traditions.