With
our language, we describe where we are in relation to other things in terms of
ourselves. Something is to our left or right, in front of us or behind
us.
There
are indigenous societies in Australia that have no words for left or right
though. Direction is anchored to the world around them, not their own
person. They always know where they are in space. Say “Move your
bowl a little to the north”, and they will know which way to move it.
This quirk of language requires them to maintain continuous awareness of their
own orientation, and it seems perfectly natural to them. In turn, they
tend to have greater personal navigation skills than those of us that use our
own current position as a base for how to think of things.
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