opalescentWhy words like 'okay' and 'taxi' are universally understood across the world but survival related ones like 'help', 'water', 'food' remained nation specific?
From learning a new language, one thing I noticed is that the more modern the word, the more likely it will be the same or similar in your own language. Thus computer is very close across many languages where as help can be quite different. I think taxi would be a very new concept. Ok. That might just be due to the word being so simple thus it was adopted fast. Much like we nod for yes.
Not an expert but just an observation I had found interesting.
𝔄 𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔭𝔦𝔢𝔠𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔢𝔰𝔢Nod for yes is not universal, in parts of Asia you’d wiggle your head side to side (not turn like shaking your head as a no, but actually sway your head side to side). You’d nod your head up to indicate No in Greece and Turkey among others. Bulgaria and Albania even completely swapped the yes-nod and no-shake.
But all of those places also consume North American/Western European media, so the concepts are mostly understood and even homogenising.