Questions tagged [language-use]
Use of language in communicating mathematics. Includes all kinds of languages: spoken, written, symbolic etc. There is a separate tag for terminology, which is a narrow subfield of language use.
47 questions
8
votes
7
answers
1k
views
Examples of "procedural shortcuts" or imprecise language that create long-term misconceptions
I am currently compiling a list of common "language habits" or didactic shortcuts used in mathematics teaching. These are phrases or procedural metaphors that might help students get the ...
- 2,756
7
votes
3
answers
423
views
When writing fractions, in what order do you write the top, bottom and line?
When handwriting fractions (for example $\frac43$ or $\frac{x+1}{x-1}$), in what order do you write the top, bottom and line?
It seems to vary by country. Based on my observations, it seems that:
In ...
- 1,595
3
votes
1
answer
310
views
Multiple-choice questions and negative sentences
During the French national assessments for 7 years old children, pupils had to circle the correct picture to match a sentence.
The sentence in question was: ‘The girl is not running’. "La fille ...
- 71
3
votes
1
answer
227
views
Examples of different languages with mathematically different names for concepts
Multilingual classroom
Having pupils of many different native languages, and many languages in general, has been getting quite common in Norwegian classrooms, too. In many other countries this has ...
- 9,526
0
votes
3
answers
652
views
What is this symbol called?
I know how to pronounce the first symbol as "theta", but the other symbol that looks like a circle with a vertical slash, I don't know what to call it.
I would appreciate any help. Thank you
- 17
6
votes
3
answers
375
views
Is there any research on the impact of dismissive language (e.g., 'it's just...') in mathematics education? [closed]
I am curious about the effects of certain phrasings in educational contexts, particularly in mathematics. In fields like physiotherapy, using phrases like "it's just lifting your leg" can ...
- 2,756
4
votes
4
answers
321
views
Are some natural languages better for expressing mathematical concepts than others?
I don't know if this is the best stack exchange for this question, but I couldn't think of a better one. Please migrate it to an appropriate stack exchange, if this one is not appropriate. Anyway, my ...
- 157
17
votes
5
answers
14k
views
Do undergraduates struggle with δ-ε definitions because they lack a habit of careful use of their native language?
I transcribed this excerpt starting at the 22-minute mark, of Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology’s May 19 2020 podcast with Professor Tadashi Tokieda:
For example, this is a bit too ...
- 467
1
vote
2
answers
717
views
How should an educator answer a student who asks "Can this theorem be deduced in other systems of set theory?"
If the educator decides to handle the situation by declaring that the question is beyond the scope of the course, then would it be fair to ensure that the course description and course syllabus ...
user12816
8
votes
8
answers
5k
views
Is 'For all $x$' an abuse of language in math?
I chose to ask this question on MESE because I think it's not about mathematics per se but more about how it should be communicated.
Quantified statements in mathematics are often written for ...
- 465
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How does learning math differ from learning second foreign languages (L2)?
Peer-reviewed publications analogize learning math to learning a L2. But what are the DisAnalogies and CounterArguments? How can you distinguish learning math from learning L2?
Luciana Oliveira, ...
- 367
-2
votes
1
answer
245
views
Why do we use polysemy?
From Polysemy - Wikipedia:
Polysemy (/pəˈlɪsɪmi/ or /ˈpɒlɪˌsiːmi/; from Ancient Greek πολύ- (polý-) 'many', and σῆμα (sêma) 'sign') is the capacity for a sign (e.g. a symbol, a morpheme, a word, or a ...
- 2,756
28
votes
7
answers
6k
views
What value is there in requiring students to answer word problems in complete sentences?
This is related to my previous question What value is there in requiring students to declare the dimensions of an answer when it is already clear from context? , but with a different focus.
A sizeable ...
- 944
-3
votes
2
answers
179
views
Best natural language(s) for conveying, conceptualizing, teaching, understanding, and learning Probabilistic & Statistical concepts & theory?
English can be precise but it is rather 'flowery' and easily gets in its' own way. East-Asian natural languages like Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Japanese are notorious for permitting the ...
10
votes
6
answers
1k
views
What value is there in requiring students to declare the dimensions of an answer when it is already clear from context?
When I was in late primary and middle school (east coast US, early 1990's), we were assigned a lot of word problems of the following general form:
Mary has eight self-sealing stem bolts. She sells ...
- 944
