This reminds me of another recent story, about a language that doesn't use left or right, but uses compass directions.<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29language-t.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29language-t.html</a><p>Imagine yourself saying the fork is east of the plate, for example. It requires a different kind of mental map, and knowing what direction you're facing. And everyone does this, it's part of the culture. Part of the language.<p>Makes me wonder if they have the same jokes about how men don't ask for directions and women can't read a map in that language.
This makes sense. It would be really weird if this particular skill was completely unaffected by training, unlike... well, most other cognitive skills.<p>I've always wondered whether 4-dimensional spacial skills could be taught in an analogous way.