{{Short description|Suffix used for place names}} The suffix '''-tania''' or '''-etania''' (English demonym "-tanian", "-tanians")<ref group="note">Latin, {{lang|la|-tanum}}; Spanish, {{lang|es|-tano}} / {{lang|es|-tana}} / {{lang|es|-tanos}} / {{lang|es|-tanas}}</ref> denotes a territory or region in the Iberian Peninsula. 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, in which the root ''*tan'' or ''*taín'' means department or region.<ref name=":0">Campión, pg. 261 "Doctor Hervás, quoted by Astarloa, adopted the Celtic origin. Celtophiles claim that ''tan'' or ''tain'' means ''department'', ''region'' – In Irish ''tan'', genitive ''tain'', expresses the idea of ''country'', ''territory''."</ref> "In Irish, ''tan'' (genitive, ''tain'') expresses the idea of ''country'', ''territory''."
Other philologists such as Pablo Pedro Astarloa suggest a combination of the Basque abundance suffix {{lang|eu|*-eta}} (as in Arteta, Lusarreta, Olleta) with the Latin root ''*nia'' used in place names (such as Romania, Hispania, Italia).<ref name=":0" />
The form of demonym used by some epigraphs in the Iberian language 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 origin. According to the historian and archaeologist Manuel Gómez-Moreno, the Latin suffix -''tani'' corresponds to the Iberian -''scen'',<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gómez Moreno|first=Manuel|title=Misceláneas: historia, arte, arqueología|year=1949|pages=253}}</ref> For example, the Ausetanians (''Ausetani'') who called themselves ''Ausesken''. The Romans also applied this suffix to other peoples of the western Mediterranean (Sardinia and Sicily), 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 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 (1953).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pérez Vilatela|first=Luciano|title=Lusitania: historia y etnología|publisher=Real Academia de la Historia|year=2000|location=Madrid|pages=94}}</ref>
Another theory, partially developed by the Aragonese jurist Joaquín Costa, 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 Basque.<ref>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 and Oran, being a correlative word of the said Berber plural ''ait'' the singular basque ''aide'', "relative".</ref>
== Examples == [[File:Prehispanic_languages.gif|thumb|256x256px|Linguistic families of the Iberian Peninsula before Romanization<br /><br /> C1: Galaicos / C2b: Brácaros / C3: Cántabros / C4: Astures / C5: Vacceos / C6: Turmogos / C7: Autrigones-Caristios / C8: Várdulos / C9: Berones / C10: Pelendones / C11: Belos / C12: Lusones / C13: Titos / C14: Olcades / C15: Arévacos / C16: Carpetanos / C17: Vetones / C18-C19: Célticos / C20: Conios / L1: Lusitanos / I1: Ceretanos / I2: Ilergetes / I3: Lacetanos / I4: Indigetes / I5: Layetanos / I6: Ilercavones / I7: Sedetanos / I8: Edetanos / I9: Contestanos / I10: Oretanos / I11: Bastetanos / I12: Turdetanos / G21: Galos / G1: Griegos / P1: Fenicios/Cartagineses / B1: Bereberes.]] * ''Accitania'' * ''Ausetania'', nowadays Osona. * ''Bergistania'', nowadays Berga. * ''Bastetania'' * ''Carpetania'' * ''Ceretania'' * ''Contestania'', nowadays Cocentaina. * ''Cosetania'' * ''Ilergitania'', nowadays Lérida. * ''Ilorcitania'', nowadays Lorquí. * ''La Jacetania'' * ''Lacetania'' * ''Layetania'' * ''Lusitania'' * ''Oretania'' * ''Ossigitania'' * ''Sedetania'' * ''Turdetania''
=== Outside the Iberian Peninsula === * ''Aquitania'' (Aquitaine) * Mauritania **Tingitania or Transfretania **Zeugitania * Occitania ** Arpitania, which was created in the 70s of Arpes (Alps) and -tania (imitating Occitania) *Tripolitania
== See also == * -land * -stan * -patnam
== Notes == <references group="note" />
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Sources == * {{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 Category:Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula Category:Iberian Peninsula Category:Iberians Category:Basque language Category:Place name element etymologies Category:Berbers Category:English suffixes