--- M R <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>The greater use of icons appears to be a
>European cultural thing.
>America often uses words where Europe has icons.
>This is apparent in road signs.
>
>Then what about the directions (North, south, etc)
>in roads, do they use any icons for this.

No. Unfortunately.

There are no European standard words, each language
has its own. Word translations can be done at:
http://translation.langenberg.com/

The use of compass direction for navigation is another
cultural/environmental difference between the US and
Europe. Compass direction is common on US road signs
and people think in these terms. The US was fortunate
enough in having land to create roads quite recently
in a rational manner. The US urban grid is great for
easy navigation. People will say 'head north' and
'take 95 west'. There is widespread knowledge of
compass direction in the US that is reinforced by the
road system.

Forget all that when you visit Europe. Many European
roads are centuries old and are too wiggly for compass
directions to make sense. Central urban areas are
often medieval in layout and a compass is useless for
navigation, you might as well try to label spaghetti
with compass directions. With a few exceptions,
European road signs do not mention it and people do
not generally think in compass directions when navigating.

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