SEMANTIC ENIGMAS



What does -istan" mean as in Pakistan, Uzbekistan or Afghanistan? Jackie Rigden, London UK It's a suffix that exists is many Indo-European languages - but not English - and means "home" or "place"...the equivalent of the English or German "-land". The Hindi name for England is "Inglistan", but actually in Pakistan the "-stan" comes from "Baluchistan". Pete, Brixton The suffix means "land of" a particular people or tribe or national group. Robert del Valle, Detroit USA Pakistan is an acronym, for Punjab, Afghan (the North-West frontier region), Kashmir, Indus (some say it's for Islam) and Sind. The "Tan" is said to represent Baluchistan. John, Wellington, New Zealand It's a good acronym, as Pakistan also translates as "Land Of The Spiritually Pure And Clean" Rob, Hackney, London UK The word Stan just means country, although I have a feeling that one of the countries in Asia ends with the spelling Sthan, pronounced the same with the letter H silent although I am not sure which one. George Handley, Nottingham UK Sthan in sanskrit literally means 'place'. Surely some of the languages spoken in the Asian subcontinent have words that are similar to sanskrit. Patricia, Guildford UK -istan is a suffix in the Persian language (Farsi), denoting a place. Thus, Pakistan means place of the pure (pak=pure). It does not just refer to geographical areas, as in bimarestan=place of the sick=hospital. The suffix is widespread in Eurasia because of Persian influence (the Mughals of India for example used Farsi). The point made above about Sanskrit is relevant also, since this word is an ancestor of the Farsi suffix. If you remember that Hindi, many Indian languages as well as Farsi have a common ancestor in Sanskrit, it is not surprising that this word in various forms pops up a lot in the region. David Shariatmadari, London UK Sthan/Stan is a very common root in Indo-European languages. Even in English, the words Stationary, State, and Standard are derivatives of the Stan root. Usually the country's name is formed by adding the nation's name (ie. Uzbekh, Tajik), adding an appropriate connector (i, a, u) and then adding stan. As for India, known as Hindustan, it is based on "religion" rather than ethnicity, and for Pakistan, it is based on the Urdu word Pak (Pure). There is a common hoax going around concerning an acronymic origin of Pakistan. Recent scholarship has shown that this was first recorded after the creation of Pakistan (plus, no part of the acronym includes Bengal which was originally part of Pakistan). Bharat Kumar, Scarsdale NY Is the ending of Azerbaijan from the same root? Tom Phillips, Sheffield UK The 'Now or Never' pamphlet came out BEFORE Pakistan was made and called for the establishment of a country called Pakistan in the North West corner of South Asia. The name was derived from the acronyms of the first letters of the regions involved. Bangladesh was never supposed to be part of Pakistan but was added at a later point in time as the movement changed from a cultural/ethnic one to a more religious one (Jinnah-founding father of Pakistan- was an avowed securalist). Pakistan was initially intended to be seperate due to its unique cultural and historical difference with the rest of South Asia and hence to maintain its 'Purity' (Pak=Pure). Even today, there is great antagonism towards the mohojir(indian muslim refugees) living in Pakistan due to their different culture, linguistic and political affiliations. Many Pakistani's also believe that they have more in common with the Non-Muslim refugees who fled Pakistan than with the mohajir refugees who came there. 'Stan' Basically means Land of. Philip Solomon, New York USA I do not think that it is acronym but muslim were called Pak and thus pakistan with land of paks. This is how I learnt when I was growing up. Vijay, Spring Lake Park USA 'Stan' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Sthan'for 'place or land' of somebody. Sanskrit language is the mother of all Indo-europian languages. Even English words like 'mother (matra), 'father (pitra), etc. are derived from this ancient language. 'Stan' word occuring in Uzbekistan, Turmenistan, Kazhakistan, etc. testify the fact that the peoples of these lands owe their ethnic origin from a single stock. Shreepal Singh, Delhi, India As a geographer with skills in several languages, the occurrence of "istan" in the names of several countries and towns interested me. I learned from one of my linguistic colleagues that "istan" meant "land of." Thus the land of Uzbek was Uzbekistan, of the Tajiks it was Tajikistan and so on. Not so unusual a factor. After all, in the Western world we have England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Greenland Iceland, and in the US there is Maryland. Tom Nobel, Washington, DC, USA The etymological origins of the suffix "-stan" are in the Sanskrit word "sthan", which means "place". Thus the Sanskrit words "janmsthan" for birthplace or "gautamsthan" which refers to the place of a mythological event in the Ramayana involving the Sage Gautam. The Sanskrit word, there is the cognate "-tun" in Pashto and the "-stan" in Persian. These are both used as a suffix for a place. Thus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Balochistan refer to the place of Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Afghans and the Baloch, respectively. Pakistan however is a portmanteau formed by the acronym for the regions of Punjab, (Afghan-inhabited frontier regions, Kashmir and Sindh, along with the Persian suffix "-stan". Winthrop S., Oxford, UK I wonder if this "-tun" or "-stan" is a cognate with modern English "town." Bill, San Diego US "Stan" means place from long time ago. We named my country as Siam when we changed the country name to Thai we hv two choices Thaistan and Thailand. Thaistan is came from Sanskrit. Thailand is roman Thais vote for Thaistan but the Priminister choose Thailand. radana radanawong, bangkok thailand It may be a place or a house Thanya, Tamil Nadu India Simple. 'Stan' originates from the Sanskrit 'Sthan' ( ) which means 'place' or 'land'. Example: Uzbekistan means Uzbeki + Sthan. The land of the Uzbeks or Uzbekis. Neeta, New Delhi India The word Stan comes from Sanskrit word "sthaana" meaning place and over the time it become Stan. Vikas Manhas, Ludhiana, India



Add your answer













