Why Some Languages Don’t Have Words for Left or Right?
Why Some Languages Don’t Have Words for Left or Right? Can You Live Without Left and Right? Try this: Close your eyes and point to the north . Now try giving directions to your favorite café without saying “left” or “right.” Could you manage? For most of us, that’s nearly impossible. But for many people around the world — it’s the only way they know how to speak. Some languages don’t have words for “left” or “right” at all. Instead, they describe direction using cardinal points like north, south, east, and west - a concept known as geocentric language . This seemingly small difference in speech reveals something astonishing: language deeply shapes how we think, remember, and even perceive the world. Egocentric vs Geocentric: Two Ways to Map the World Let’s break it down. Egocentric Language Uses the speaker’s body as a frame of reference. Common in English, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese . Directions are relative: left, right, front, back. Example: “The book is to your l...