Indo-European *steh2- between etymology and cognition

The field of studies related to cognitive linguistics is widely investigated in literature. However, it still offers original ideas for a review of its possible application to linguistic problems connected with ancient Indo-European languages, which are usually investigated according to the most traditional historical and reconstructive principles. What will be examined, then – starting from what recently outlined by Pozza (2014 and in press) and Giusfredi (2016) –, is the possibility to clarify the semantic path leading from the Indo-European root *steh2- (IEW:1004, LIV:590) ‘to stand/make stand’ (cf. Gr. ἵστημι, Skt. tíṣṭhati etc.) to the not immediately intuitive lexical field associated with the ‘soul’, in order to explain the difficulties connected with the interpretation of two possible Hittite corradical lexemes (ištanana-, a common gender substantive probably indicating ‘altar’, and ištanzan- ‘soul’) which are apparently very far from each other, at least with regard to semantics.