2007-06-26 23:16:01 · 18 answers · asked by ken p 5 in Education & Reference ➔ Trivia
The person who decided which is up & which is down & he decided also which front & which is back.
2007-06-26 23:22:04 · answer #1 · answered by Nony 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The word 'left' derives from a Middle English word which means 'weak'. This would seem reasonable to me because the left hand, for the majority of people, is the weakest.
The French word for 'left' is gauche which can also mean awkward and the word 'gauche' has been adopted in English to mean clumsy or lacking in grace.
So that is half your question answered the word 'left' just evolved as a description of the awkwardness of using the left hand and as most people are right-handed it became common usage.
The word 'right' derives from the Old English word 'riht' which meant something just or morally and socially correct. The 'correct' hand to use for tasks or to hold a weapon would therefore be described as 'riht' hand. So,again, the word just evolved and became commonly used.
The answer to your question should probably be - no-one decided - it just happened!
Cheers!
2007-06-26 23:44:11 · answer #2 · answered by DogDoc 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
A Mr Lefty Right did in 942ad his handy work has helped many generations and is still going strong today with the more familiar terms of left and right. When at school, his teacher would call out the register and when his name 'Right' was called, he would sick up his right hand and say here sir. Then when he was bullied in the playground one time for his dinner money he put his left hand in his only pocket and said 'look, there's nothing left. He then began to realise that left and right had great potential in helping him out in life and could do silly things like put things to the left and right of his bedroom or sleep on his left or right side. he shared this knowledge with the world and everyone could do much more with their life's and lead us up to the present day with Left and right. Thanks Mr Lefty Right. God bless your soul.
2007-06-28 05:12:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think in every country, there is a group of people who get together and decided on which words to be used in the language and what should they mean. It is probably those people who decided which is left and which is right
2007-06-26 23:22:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It probably arose from our hunter gatherer ancestors who needed to know the location of vital food stock. They may have faced the sun, or some other form of reference, to establish where this food was. So if they raised their right arm, they may have a fair idea which way they should go. After the development of language, they formulated, simple but different words in response to the environment.
2007-06-26 23:24:21 · answer #5 · answered by Old Man of Coniston!. 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
after sending us to this world, the Creator instructed us to do good deeds such as eating, with our right hand and to do things, where there is an option and there is a chance of getting hands dirty such as cleansing after going to toilet, with left hand. So we have brought this knowledge of right and left part of our body with us as we came to this world long time back in the history of mankind. This differentiation between right and left has been made as a constant reminder between right and wrong. That do not mix up between right and wrong. If your clean part do get dirty with wrong things do clean it and keep away from it.
For example on the day of judgment, the successful people will be on the right hand side. They will get their record of deeds in this world in their right hand from their front. Those who will not be successful they will be in the left hand side getting their record of deeds to their left hand from back.
In relation to our body we can say everything sitting either on our right hand side or on the left hand side. For example looking at east, south is the right hand side and so on.
Perhaps interesting...
2007-06-26 23:57:22 · answer #6 · answered by zerosopher 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
language is a very complex matter...I suppose every language spoken by humans is logical; in order to be logical, things have to be named properly to distinguish various options of interpretation...We could say, language which involved dubious words - words that don't have exact meanings like for example left and right would be practically useless...
2007-06-27 01:43:25 · answer #7 · answered by javornik1270 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A guy named Herman Winkletter.
2007-06-26 23:18:40 · answer #8 · answered by Julius 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The same person who decided upon east and west - left and right are just different words for this. that my hazarded guess.
2007-06-28 01:46:14 · answer #9 · answered by Grinning Football plinny younger 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably the same ppl who established the English language from Latin....WHO KNOWS, DUDE.
2007-06-26 23:19:45 · answer #10 · answered by adrift feline 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋