the Etymology of Hamlets in Birjand District: case study: Khan and Mah

Toponymy is one of the branches of historical linguistics, which is more than 200 years old; It is usually associated with the studies of orientalists and archaeologists, and over time this science has evolved and found a scientific structure. Birjand city in South Khorasan is one of the regions of the country that due to its distance from population centers and main transportation routes, unlike the northern regions of Khorasan, has been less attacked by nomadic tribes. Hence, the habitats of this region have undergone less transformation. Hence, in a significant number of dialects, they have preserved the morphological structure of the Pahlavi language. The purpose of this study is to study the semantics of the words "Khan" and "Moon" and their derivatives in the dialects of Birjand city. The research method is descriptive-analytical and the research tool is library and field study. This study concludes that the Pahlavi word "Khan", which is used in Kurdish as "Kani" and in Taleshi "Khoni" means spring, in South Khorasan means artificial spring, well or aqueduct; What is its Persian equivalent after Islam? Also, the word moon in the Pahlavi language means ten, which is seen with other derivatives in the pronouns of Birjand function