Russians seem to avoid using N, S, E, W
Melissa Smith
mtsmith02 at YSU.EDU
Thu Sep 2 21:26:22 UTC 2010
I don't know what knowledge is typical in any culture. I personally
like studying maps and carry the directions of the compass in my head,
but I've been astounded when I try to teach points of the compass, and
my students on a commuter campus don't know which way is home! I think
it's only going to get worse, since GPS tends to indicate the direction
you happen to be headed. The route that one needs to take is the most
relevant information, and directions of the compass involve an extra
layer of abstraction from one's personal world.
You may not need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is
blowing, but if you want to communicate this information to someone
else, you need a shared system of coordinates!
Melissa
On 9/2/10 2:43 PM, Richard Robin wrote:
> The fact that Russians don't use compass directions has always been
> frustrating to me. Whenever I come out of a Moscow metro station that
I have
> never seen before, my first instinct is to try and figure out where
north
> is. If I know that, I can find almost anything. But alas, on a cloudy
day or
> at night, with no sun for guidance, I know that no one I ask will be
able to
> tell me where north is. Of course, in the northern part of the city, I
can
> use Ostankino as a marker. But elsewhere it's hopeless. Maybe I should
carry
> around a compass.
>
> Perhaps I'm atypical, even for an American. My wife is ready to
divorce me
> every time I say something like "It's on the southeast corner of
Wisconsin
> Avenue and Reservoir Road."
>
> -Rich Robin
>
> --
> Richard M. Robin
> Director Russian Language Program
> The George Washington University
> Washington, DC 20052
> 202-994-7081
>
>
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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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