According to Pyotr Lavrovsky, the contemporary "я" in the word "Liakh" ("лях") replaced a former nasal "ѧ" (, "en"). He links "лѧх" with "лѧдина" (hence Lendians), which in Russian means clearing or pochinok (type of a settlement). Clearing activities, during which sowing was conducted in places of cut down and burned forest, were common among the northwestern Slavs, hence, Lavrovsky concludes that in ancient times the words Liakh=Lech (лѧх = лях = лех) referred to a person who conducted clearings, a farmer, or a landowner.