I’m waiting to find out exactly how thoroughly I am going to get fucked by the IRS, but since I can’t do anything about it no matter what the outcome, I’m trying not to think about it. Slowly emerging from my pity party, but I’ll keep having it for as long as I goddamn feel like, until all the booze is gone and the guests are good and plastered. Wait, what? That analogy doesn’t work…
Anyway, that being said, here’s an email from one of my Correspondents in the Field (who really needs her own blog, because she writes so many blogworthy emails!), which cheered me up because it’s really fucking funny.
So…one of my co-workers wondered aloud what “stan” meant. Stan as in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, etc. One quick google search later and we learned that “stan” is a Farsi word meaning “land.” Makes good sense (England, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, etc.).Apparently Afghanistan means “Land of the Afghans,” Uzbekistan means “Land of the Uzbeks” and Pakistan means “Land of the Pure.” Yep. Land of the Pure.
Less reliable sources also define “taj” as “person wearing a crown” and “ik” as head, ergo Tajikistan means “Land of the Person Wearing a Crown on Their Head.”
Maybe someday we’ll rename our country Jesustan. It has a nice ring to it. And feels autocratically appropriate.
But seriously, Land of the Pure?
LOL!
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3 Responses to "Fun with etymology"
in hindi “taj” usually just refers to the actual crown, although it occassionaly is used for king. i wonder if Farsi is that different? ik? don’t know about that one. :) land of the person with the crown on their head. HEE.
Land of the Pure? That is a little self centered there, Pakistan!
Wouldn’t that just be “land of the crown heads”?