Spatial Orientation

Abstract In Lugbara, a language spoken in northeastern Zaire and northwestern Uganda, the traditional terms for spatial orientation are as shown in table 3-1. These Lugbara terms differ from corresponding terms in European languages in that they are all transparent (see section 2.4)—that is, in all cases, the motivation of the terms is still fully recoverable, as suggested by the literal meanings provided. At the same time, the motivation is similar to that found in many other languages. For example, quite a number of languages worldwide have derived their terms for ‘east’ and ‘west’ (if such terms exist at all) from expressions that relate to the rising and the setting sun, respectively (see section 3.2). Moreover, a common source of terms for ‘right hand’ is provided by such concepts as ‘the male/strong hand’, ‘the eating hand’, but also by ‘the real/true hand’ (see, e.g., Werner 1904). Thus, while Lugbara differs from English and other European languages, it has much in common with many languages elsewhere in the world.