Russians seem to avoid using N, S, E, W

[Elena Ostrovskaya]

We definitely never think in terms of compass directions as we walk around
the city. What is more, I don't know about Sebastopol, but you never get any
signs with them in the metro or streets in Moscow unless you are driving
along the Rings, of course. North or South is very rare as part of a toponym
in Moscow, so even if a person somehow marks his or her own movements as
going north, or east, or whatever, I don't think you will get it in his or
her directions.
But it seems to be even deeper, I am afraid. Many people try not to use maps
as they find them too complicated. It all changes with driving, of course,
but non-driving city-dwellers, which are still quite numerous, often try to
pretend that they are not up to map-reading.
So originally it's not linguistics, just toponymy and habits, but
eventually, for some people, it's a matter of usage, i.e. language.
>From my perspective of a Russian city-walker,
Elena Ostrovskaya.

On Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 7:09 PM, Mark Kingdom <k2kingdom at gmail.com> wrote:

> Living here in Sevastopol, I ask my share of directions to places.
> I don't recall *ever* getting an answer where the speaker used
> compass directions. It's always, "Go straight, then turn left..."
> Granted, plenty of Americans use left, right, straight terminology,
> but plenty *also* use compass directions. "Go east on 7th and then
> turn north onto Broadway."
>
> Is that a cultural thing, you think, or a linguistic one?
>
> Just curious!
>
> Thanks all for the help!
>
> Mark
>
>

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