----- Original Message -----
From: <sig@egroups.com>
To: <sig@egroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2000 1:33 AM
Subject: [sig] Digest Number 289


Q:
but are there other examples in Polish of adding the "anie"
> ending to signify relation? is Polanie related to the English word,
> "Poland?"
A:
Take a look at the names of the tribes who previously inhabited Mazovia,
Pomerania, Silesia, etc. I believe they also used the ie ending.

Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise jenne@...

Interesting! So the the Polish language would speak of Pomeranie? and also
Mazovanie? can we get a natvie Polish speaker to weigh in on this one? I
like what I'm hearing so far and would love to learn more! So since people
who live near the field , the "pole" are called Polanie, are people who live
near the mountain, Go'ra ever called Go'ranie??? we "Amerikanie" need to
learn more about this!

Let's revisit the original question. Someone wanted to know why in the
movie With Fire and Sword" (or something like that) the Poles were called
"lyakhy" or something similar by the Ukrainian Kokaks. I found a similar
name for Poland as "Lechistan", from the Turks. And names similar to Lyakhy
used for the Poles by the Russians and Lithuanians. I also found an
ancient legend about a man named Lech whose subjects and followers were
named Lechichi, and who was supposed to be an early founder of the Polish
nation. Curiously enough Lech was from around Gniezno. Other people noted
the standard story of the origin of Poland, that it began with the tribe of
field dwellers called 'polanie'! And where were THESE people from?
Curiously enough, from the region of Poznan/Gniezno!

Hmmm!

Tell me dear Watson, er Watsonski, (or Watsonska for maidens) err,
Watsonowicz, or clever detectives anywhere,

Why bother to call people "Polak" when they're already called "polanie,"
And if you're gonna name them after a "pole," why not call them Polenie?
So why are neighbors calling these people by L-words, both with the a vowel
and the o vowel, as in Laks & leks?
Is this due to two DIFFERENT parallel names for a people, linguistically
unrelated names for a people, field people and Lech people?

I think "ak" as ending for people/professions might exist in the Polish
language.

I have to still wonder whether pol-ak might be from a corruption Lekh to
Lakh to po-lakh to po-lak, but I can't prove it, and it goes against the
standard etymologies of the history books!

I'd love it if any fellow supersleuths could send me to further sites
on this!

Djenkuje!

Svyatoslav Izbornyk