Seems like Brazil adopted the British system, at least the buildings I went: here, the immediate floor is called “Térreo” (Ground), followed by “primeiro andar” (“First floor”) and so on.
It’s highly unlikely that they adopted the British system.
The names for “floor” or “story” stem in many languages from the way houses were built in antiquity and the medieval period.
Brick or stone walls for a base house that could be updated with wooden floors on top. Or variations in material, whatever.
The baseline is, those words come from material reality and exist in many languages and cultures and are not adopted from English.
The island of great Britain was highly uninfluential in antiquity and the middle ages.
Seems like Brazil adopted the British system, at least the buildings I went: here, the immediate floor is called “Térreo” (Ground), followed by “primeiro andar” (“First floor”) and so on.
Most of EU, that I’ve been to. Ground, first, second.
It’s highly unlikely that they adopted the British system.
The names for “floor” or “story” stem in many languages from the way houses were built in antiquity and the medieval period. Brick or stone walls for a base house that could be updated with wooden floors on top. Or variations in material, whatever.
The baseline is, those words come from material reality and exist in many languages and cultures and are not adopted from English.
The island of great Britain was highly uninfluential in antiquity and the middle ages.
I think it’s the US that’s the outlier, most European languages have it so that the first floor is the first floor above the ground floor.