Direction

Direction is a second universal spatial concept. Like location, it has more than one meaning and can be expressed in absolute or relative terms. Absolute direction is based upon the cardinal points of north, south, east, and west. These appear uniformly and independently in all cultures, derived from the obvious "givens" of nature: the rising and setting of the sun for east and west, the sky location of the noontime sun and of certain fixed stars for north and south. We also commonly use relative or relational directions. In the United States we go "out west", "back east", or "down south"; we worry about conflict in the "near east", or economic competition from the "far eastern countries". These directional references are culturally based and locationally variable, despite their reference to cardinal compass points. The near and far east locate parts of Asia from the European perspective, they are retained in the Americas by custom and usage, even though one would normally travel westward across the pacific, for example, to reach the “far East'" from California, British Columbia, or Chile. For many Americans, "back East", and "out West" are reflections of the migration paths of earlier generations for whom home was in the eastern part of the country, to which they might look back. "Up North" and "down South" reflect our accepted custom of putting north at the top and south at the bottom of our maps.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-19