The

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carry ...

-tania or -etania (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

"-tanian", "-tanians")

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, -''tanum'';

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, -''tano'' / -''tana'' / -''tanos'' / -''tanas'' denotes a territory or region in the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. Its historical origin is in the pre-Roman Iberia. Its etymological origin is discussed by linguists. Spanish Jesuit philologist Hervás y Panduro proposed their link to the

Celtic languages The Celtic languages ( usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward ...

, in which the root ''*tan'' or ''*taín'' means department or region.Campión, pg. 261 "Doctor Hervás, quoted by Astarloa, adopted the Celtic origin. Celtophiles claim that ''tan'' or ''tain'' means ''department'', ''region'' – In

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

''tan'', genitive ''tain'', expresses the idea of ''country'', ''territory''." "In

, ''tan'' (

genitive In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...

, ''tain'') expresses the idea of ''country'', ''territory''." Other philologists such as Pablo Pedro Astarloa suggest a combination of the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

root ''*eta'' (as in Arteta, Lusarreta, Olleta) with the Latin root ''*nia'' used in place names (such as

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...

Italia Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

). The form of demonym used by some epigraphs in the

Iberian language The Iberian language was the language of an indigenous western European people identified by Greek and Roman sources who lived in the eastern and southeastern regions of the Iberian Peninsula in the pre-Migration Era (before about 375 AD). The a ...

found in coins is -''ken'' or -''sken'', as in Ikalesken, which is unrelated to the Latin-Hispanic -''tanus''. This suggests that -tania may be a denomination of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

origin. According to the historian and archaeologist Manuel Gómez-Moreno, the Latin suffix -''tani'' corresponds to the Iberian -''scen'', For example, the Ausetanians (''

Ausetani The Ausetani were an ancient Iberian (pre-Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania). They are believed to have spoken the Iberian language. They lived in the eponymous region of Ausona and gave their name to the Roman city of '' ...

'') who called themselves ''Ausesken''. The Romans also applied this suffix to other peoples of the

western Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the eas ...

(

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

and

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

), and to a lesser extent to those of the Italian Peninsula, where however the suffix -''ates'' prevails. Before Roman contact with the Iberian peoples, there were already

Greek colonies Greek colonization was an organised colonial expansion by the Archaic Greeks into the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea in the period of the 8th–6th centuries BC. This colonization differed from the migrations of the Greek Dark Ages in that it ...

in Iberia. The ancient Greeks used the older suffix -ητες (-''etes''), -εται or -ηται (-''etai''), which would be replaced by -ητανοι or -ετανοι (-''etani''), according to researcher

Ulrich Schmoll Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Al ...

(1953). Another theory, partially developed by the

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

ese jurist

Joaquín Costa Joaquín Costa (September 14, 1846, Monzón, Huesca Province – February 8, 1911) was a Spanish politician, lawyer, economist and historian. The son of an Aragonese farmer and his first wife, Costa was self-educated and campaigned to end what ...

, relates that suffix to the Berber ''*ait'', which means both "son of" and "the tribe", or with ''*at'', meaning "people." This theory that supports that "aide" (''aita'') is a relative in

.Campión, pg. 261 "Sir Costa believes that ''etania'' expresses the generic concept of ''nation'' or ''tribe''. And it is supported by the following reasoning: in the berber countries they use the word ''ait'' (children of ... as an ethnic to express the concept of ''kabila'' or ''tribe''. ''At'', syncopated form of ''ait'', also means ''people''. Especially in

Figuig Figuig or Figig ( ar, فجيج; Figuig Berber: Ifeyyey) is an oasis town in eastern Morocco near the Atlas Mountains, on the border with Algeria. The town is built around an oasis of date palms, called ''Tazdayt'', meaning "palm tree" in the B ...

and

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

, being a correlative word of the said Berber plural ''ait'' the singular basque ''aide'', "relative".

Examples

* ''Accitania'' * ''Ausetania'', nowadays

Osona Osona () is a comarca situated in Catalonia, Northeast Spain. Its capital is Vic. Its population in 2001 was 129,543. Osona covers roughly the same area as the historic Catalan county of Osona. The name Osona comes from ''Ausetans'', a group of ...

. * ''Bergistania'', nowadays

Berga Berga () is the capital of the ''comarca'' (county) of Berguedà, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is bordered by the municipalities of Cercs, Olvan, Avià, Capolat and Castellar del Riu. History Berga derives its name from ...

. * ''

Bastetania The Bastetani or Bastuli were an ancient Iberian (pre-Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania). They are believed to have spoken the Iberian language. The relationship between the Iberian Bastetani and the Tartessian Mastien ...

'' * ''

Carpetania Carpetania was an ancient region of what is today Spain, located between the Sierra de Guadarrama, the mountains of Toledo, the river Guadiana and the mountain range of Alcaraz, including approximately, the present independent communities of Madrid ...

'' * ''Ceretania'' * ''Contestania'', nowadays

Cocentaina Cocentaina (, ) is a locality and municipality in the comarca of Comtat, in the province of Alicante, Spain. The village is located between the mountainous Serra de Mariola national park and the Serpis river. Cocentaina is ideally situated for both ...

. * ''Cosetania'' * ''Ilergitania'', nowadays

Lérida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as ...

. * ''Ilorcitania'', nowadays Lorquí. * ''La'' ''Jacetania'' * ''Lacetania'' * ''Layetania'' * ''

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province located where modern Portugal (south of the Douro river) and a portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and the province of Salamanca) lie. It was named after the Lusitani or Lusita ...

'' * '' Oretania'' * '' Ossigitania'' * ''Sedetania'' * ''

Turdetania Baeturia, Beturia, or Turdetania was a region in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula (in modern Spain) between the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir rivers. In the Iron Age, it was inhabited by Celts and the Turdetani. The territory was conquered ...

Outside the Iberian Peninsula

* ''Aquitania'' (

Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 January ...

) *

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

Tingitania Mauretania Tingitana (Latin for " Tangerine Mauretania") was a Roman province, coinciding roughly with the northern part of present-day Morocco. The territory stretched from the northern peninsula opposite Gibraltar, to Sala Colonia (or Chell ...

or Transfretania ** Zeugitania *

Occitania Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language, Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This ...

Arpitania Arpitania (Arpitan and Italian: ''Arpitania'', French: ''Arpitanie'') is a controversial term which denotes the purported ethnic or cultural unity of the Western Alps, represented by speakers of Franco-Provençal (termed ''Arpitan''). "Arpitan ...

, which was created in the 70s of Arpes (

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

) and -tania (imitating Occitania)

References

* {{Cite web, url=http://meta.gipuzkoakultura.net/bitstream/10690/71740/1/AM_317410.pdf, title=Celtas, íberos y euskaros - Capítulo XIII: Estudio de la toponimia ibérica á la luz de la lengua euskara, last=Campión, first=Arturo, editor-last=Revista Bascongada, access-date=9 May 2016, archive-date=3 June 2016, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603221932/http://meta.gipuzkoakultura.net/bitstream/10690/71740/1/AM_317410.pdf, url-status=dead

tania Tania is usually a given name. It may refer to: Given name * Tânia Alves, Brazilian actress and singer * Tania Brishty, Bangladesh actress and model * Princess Tania de Bourbon Parme, French designer * Tania de Jong, Dutch-born Australian sopran ...

Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula Iberian Peninsula Iberians Basque language Place name element etymologies Berber

Examples

Outside the Iberian Peninsula

See also

References