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
What does basic mean here? I feel everything hinges on that. Radians claim π/2, π/3, π/4, π/6 are all basic, so they have 16 basic directions. A compass has one, maybe 2 basic directions. When discussing locations it’s very common to say northeast, southwest etc, so I’d say there are 8 basics in those terms.
Humans have bilateral symmetry and forward-facing eyes so we naturally have four basic directions.
Also the Sun moves in one direction across the sky, along with everything else on the Ecliptic. So that defines one axis, with the perpendicular being another.
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