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

[Melissa Smith]

A Russian friend of mine who spends a lot of time in England on 
research mentioned to me once that she had come to the following 
explanation:

Russian settlement has taken place along rivers, so that directions are 
up and down along the particuar river: NIZHNIJ Novgorod, VERXNIJ 
Ust-Ulimsk(?), ZAmoskovie, ZAvolzh'e, etc.

Melissa Smith

On 9/2/10 12:14 PM, R. M. Cleminson wrote:
> Many American cities are on a grid plan with streets orientated 
north-south or east-west; moreover, if you're in New York, for example, 
you know that if it's a street, it's (roughly) east-west, the higher 
numbers being further north, and if it's an avenue it's (roughly) 
north-south, the higher numbers being further west.  Therefore compass 
directions are useful and comprehensible in this environment.  
Elsewhere in the world, as a rule, streets are neither straight nor 
orientated, and so even if you knew where north was when you started 
out, after a few twists and turns you probably don't any more, and 
neither does the person you're asking for directions.
> 
> ----- Originálna správa -----
> Odosielateľ: "Mark Kingdom" <k2kingdom at GMAIL.COM>
> Komu: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
> Dátum: štvrtok, september 2, 2010 04:09:23
> Predmet: [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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------------------------------------

Melissa T. Smith, Professor
Department of Foreign Languages and 
Literatures  
Youngstown State University
Youngstown, OH 44555
Tel: (330)941-3462

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