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

[Simon Beattie]

I don't think that here in Britain we would naturally give directions using
points of the compass (although people might use compass points to help with
location, e.g. "I live 25 miles north-west of London").  However, we do use
them on signs: Northbound, Eastbound etc. on the London Underground, and
simply "The North" or "The South West" on motorway signs.  I don't remember
seeing the latter usage anywhere else, though I'm sure someone will put me
right!

Simon


-----Original Message-----
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Deborah Hoffman
Sent: 03 September 2010 13:50
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: [SEELANGS] Russians seem to avoid using N, S, E and W

Where I live (northeast Ohio) I am confused by how many people don't use
directions either. If you tell me turn right on such and such street, then I
go too far or there's construction, I now have no idea which way to get back
on the road if you have not told me go east on it. We have a big lake here,
to the north, and a pretty distinct division between west side and east
side. Heck, the address numbers even conveniently go up on major streets as
you're going east away from downtown and west away from downtown the other
way, so to me it's not too hard to figure out which direction one is
traveling but others may not carry the same mental map. On the other hand,
within the home my mental map breaks down and I couldn't tell you, for
example, what part of the basement the furnace sits underneath but would
have to be told "go right at the stairs, then left" etc. So perhaps it comes
down to one's ability, innate or developed, to picture spatial relations in
 a particular context.
 
Deborah Hoffman, Esq.
Russian > English Translator

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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