All languages I know of have four basic directions: left, right, backwards and forwards. Are there any that don't?

Maybe you could have just three: forwards, backwards-left and backwards-rigth? Or more then four, maybe with distinct names for some or all of the four in-between the common ones

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[–] 6 points 3 months ago* (3 children)

I know there is at least one with no concept of right or left, front or back, only the fixed directions of the world like north and south.

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  • [–] 5 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    That's Guugu Yimithirr, spoken by the Aboriginal Australian nation of the same name.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    Yes thank you.

    My mind works more like this - North is always north, I can't give directions using right and left and have broken every dance teacher I had, all ended up saying "toward the mirror, toward the window, toward the door, etc because I can't find right or left fast enough to dance, it moves every time I turn around, I want directions to be fixed.

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