[sci.lang] spatial reference in natural language

msb@sq.uucp (Mark Brader) (12/18/87)

[From a discussion in comp.cog-eng; I've added a cross-posting to sci.lang
 for the interest of readers there, but directed followups back to comp.
 cog-eng (or should I write that "comp.-"?) where things started.]

> > ... avoid AT ALL COSTS in anything
> > that will be interacting with car drivers ... - "left" and "right". ...

> It works just the opposite for me.  I absolutely hate it when I'm driving and
> the person giving directions says ``go that way'' ...

There is a simple explanation for this conflict.  The first poster was
writing from Britain, where left and right are reversed, so everyone is
naturally confused. :-)

Actually there is an interesting point here.  In British driving jargon
"left" and "right" are never used to refer to portions of the road as they
are on this continent; they are "nearside" (i.e. the side of the road
nearest the car in its normal position) and "offside" respectively.

When I see these, my first reaction is to think "nearside, yes, that's the
side of the car nearest me -- oh, wrong, it's the other side".  Fortunately
their most common use on road signs is "keep to nearside lane except when
overtaking", and there it's obvious which they mean.*

If we also used these terms, they would translate oppositely here to
left and right.  We would then be able to read things like "she opened the
offside door and got into the car", whichever place it was written, and know
that "she" was entering on the driver's side.  Would this have been good?

*Are British road signs better to be more verbose like this, or is the
 American style "Keep Right Except to Pass" better?  I think the latter,
 but maybe each is best for its own audience.  I know that when I see "Ped
 Xing" it looks silly; we mostly use US type signs here but that one either
 is spelled out or becomes the shorter term "Crosswalk", which I prefer.

On a related topic, it may be pointed out that the terms "scroll up" and
"scroll down" -- or the equivalent with arrows -- should never be used.
Is the text moving up/down on the screen, or is the window moving up/down
in the document?  People disagree.  Better to use "forward" or "back".

Mark Brader		"NO LEFT TURN INTO CLOVERLEAF ALLEY EXCEPT FROM THE
Toronto			 MIDDLE LANE OF THE OUTER ROADWAY -- SUNDAYS AND
utzoo!sq!msb		 ALTERNATE HOLIDAYS EXCLUDED UNLESS CHURCH SERVICES
msb@sq.com		 ARE IN PROGRESS"   [former Killington, VT, road sign]