AW: [SEELANGS] Russians seem to avoid using N, S, E, W

[Andrej Oelze]

Dear Mark,

as the German I am - and we also do not use compass directions - I would
like to add one important fact besides the one Amarilis already mentioned.
I don't think, nearly 50 percent of any people anywhere in the world know
the cardinal direction when they are "on the road". But isn't it an
important fact that streets in many US states have compass directions added
- like for example "Hobart Street S.E."? So compass directions are more
common and it makes it easier using them...

Andrej

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-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] Im Auftrag von Mark Kingdom
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 2. September 2010 17:09
An: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Betreff: [SEELANGS] Russians seem to avoid using N, S, E, W

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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