Introduction

... For etymology of the word Alan are many points of view, but none of them tries to deduce it from the word “Alban“. Meanwhile, such attempt could be very fruitful, for Alans lived in the Caucasian Albania, and until now it is not known who were these “Albans“. From the 1-st c. BC to the 8-th c. AD this people is frequently mentioned in many sources, its main population lived in Caucasian Albania, with the territory by the Caspian sea, north of the river Kura. Albania approximately corresponds to Shirvan.

In the Scythian and Sarmatian time in this region could have lived one of the ancestors of modern Azerbaijanis, called Aluan (Aluank). As notes F.Mamedova, from the 1-st c. BC to the 8 c. AD the “Albanian“ self-consciousness of the inhabitants of these places within the limits of all of the Albania is reflected in their self-name eluank, and after the “fall of the Albanian Kingdom, as a fragmental phenomenon, both the ethnonym, and the Albanian self-consciousness are traceable in the 9-19 cc. in one part of the country - in Artsakh“ [Mamedova Farida, 1989, 109].

In accordance with the phonetic laws of the Türkic language the word aluank could have variants Alan, Alban, Alvan. The sound k, apparently, is a part of an affix of belonging -nyky (Aluinnyky - ‘the people belonging to aluan’). Strongly reduced y (like “i“ in “it“) is almost not heard, therefore it dropped out very quickly, double nn in due course gives one n, thus comes a word aluank , where the sound k is further reduced. As to the sound u, it sounds as w, and w usually sounds as a zero sound, or b, or v. So, from Aluau~Alyuan were formed Alan, Alban,and Alvan. All of them were actively used. Variation Alban in Yakut means ‘resourceful, good looking, beautiful’. If this meaning was used in the word Alan, it proves the message of Ammianus Marcellinus that ‘almost all Alans are tall and have fair hair, beautiful face, eyesight is if not furious, still is fearsome’ [Ammianus Marcellinus, 1908, 241].

Thus, Alans in Caucasus, possibly, were originally known under ethnonym Alyuan, which then has received the forms Alan, Alban, and Alvan.

Mirfatyh Zakiev
Origin of Türks and Tatars
Part one
ORIGIN OF TÜRKS
2002

...Türkologists investigated in detail the semantics of the ethnonym As, which also participates in the formation of composite, secondary ethnic names. The ethnonym As also was frequently used in the form Yas (Yés > Yésh), which in many Türkic languages means “young man“. In the Nogay and Karaim languages yas> yesh means “son“. As the As is another parallel ethnonym for the Alans, scientists suspected a presence of a root oglan “son“ in the word Alan also [Habichev M.A., 1977, 75]. Presently the obviously Türkic ethnonym Alan is wrongly attributed to Iranian-lingual Ossetians.

The ethnonym As, being the most ancient, was used and in later times in different Türkic languages. The Itil Bulgars in another form are called Ases; Nogays were formed of various Ases, the Bulgaro-Tataro-Bashkirs as late as in the 19th century were called by the ethnonym Ishtyak (As+tyk or Os+lyk) which is incorrectly also attributed to some Finno-Ugrians; the Maris up to now call the Itil Tatars not Tatars, but by the ethnonym Suas “Water Ases“, and Chuvashes they call Suasla Mari (i.e. “Mari of Water Ases“, akin to “French Guianian“ or “American Indian“ - Translator's Note).

Balkars call themselves Alans, and Ossetianss call them Ases or Oses. In addition, on the basis of the ethnonym As were formed composite ethnonyms Karagas (Kerek As), Kyrgyz (Kyryk As “Forty Ases“), Kaegalas (Kaegaly As, i.e. Khakasses, in another way Kaemajes), Kangaras, Khakas, Bortas, Apas, Os, Uz, Osh, Tülüs, Sary As (Saracen), Oguz, Gagauz, Ishguza, etc.

...In the formation of the secondary ethnonyms is also used the affix -chy: Kangmadji (Khakas - Kangalas), Taranchy (Turanchy), Uraksolan (Urakchy Alans) “Alan-harvester“.

Before the spread of the word Türk as a common ethnonym, the Türkic-speaking tribes and peoples lived for millenniums under various ethnonyms: in the 3rd millennium BC were recorded ethnonyms As, Pardy, Sè (Saka), Suar (Süar), Ud (variation of As), Unu (Sün). In the 1st millennium BC Türkic were widely known the ethnonyms Akathyr, Argippey, Gelon (Yylan), Iirk, Ishkuza, Kimmer (Cymmer), Sak (Saka), Savromat, Skithe, Skolot, from the 3rd century BC till the 3rd century AD were known ethnonyms: Alan, Bulgar, Sabir, Sarmats, etc.

Comments

Hyrcania - Türkic word for nomads, Iyrk, for the “Iurcae“, “Hyrcae“ for the nomads near the Caspian Sea. Chinese Yancai is suspiciously close to Iyrk/Iurcae/Hyrcae, with “n“ substituting for “r“: Yancai => Yarcai => Iyrk. The Iyrkania/Hyrcania/Girkania/Djirkania (depending on language and dialect of the speaker) was located on the western fingers of the Kara-Kum desert, on a strip along the south-eastern and southern part of the Caspian Sea, centered around modern city Gorgan, which is also strangely homophonic with Iyrkan. Since semi-nomadic Alans lived in the deltas and basins of Sary-Kamysh, Uzboi, Amydarya/Cheihun, and Syrdarya/Seihun, the Chinese transcription of the name “Alan“ depicting orchards was semantically very suitable. How Alans and Iyrks were affected by the climate, see Tsvetsinskaya E.A. et al. People in the Amudarya Sarykamysh delta

Siraci - Türkic “Sary Ases“ = “White, Yellow, Pale Ases“

Aorsi  - Türkic Avars, “Aw-ar“

Masguts - in Greek Massagetae/Massagetes, in Türkic “Masgut“ = “Basgut“ (m/b dialectal alternation) = “Head Tribe“, “Royal Tribe“