Re: [tied] -istan derived from IE?

-(i)stan (-i- is secondary here) goes back to Iranian *sta:na- 'site, abode' < *stah2-no- 'state, standing, position' (cf. Skt. stHa:na-, Polish stan). It comes from the root *stah2-, from which Eng. stand (stood) is also derived. English stone comes from OE sta:n < PGmc. *stainaz. This in turn seems to be analysable as *stah2-ino- (cf. Slavic ste^na 'wall'), meaning something fixed or solid. The words may be ultimately related (though there are alternative analyses of the "stone" etymon), but the connection is in either case far less direct than the superficial similarity of forms might suggest.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: Greg

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2001 11:53 PM

Subject: [tied] -istan derived from IE?

Does anyone have any thoughts on a possible relationship between the cental Asian -istan ending meaning "land" with names like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, et al and Indo-European? I'm trying to figure out if there is a possible connection between those endings and Old English "stan" (stone). Any thoughts? Can anyone help me find the link or definitely rule it out? I'd appreciate any input. Greg