For example, there is at least one tribe that uses the metaphor of time as being a space in front of and behind the speaker, but while we think of the past as behind us and the future being in front of us, they think of the past in front of them (because they can “see” it) and the future behind them (because they can’t see it).
I believe this is true for nearly all pre-industrial societies, including pre-industrial (or at least pre-enlightenment) western culture. The two meanings of the word “before”, which can mean either in front of (spatially) or behind (temporally), are a remnant of the older metaphor.
I believe this is true for nearly all pre-industrial societies, including pre-industrial (or at least pre-enlightenment) western culture. The two meanings of the word “before”, which can mean either in front of (spatially) or behind (temporally), are a remnant of the older metaphor.