Grammar and translation of mathematical texts: reflections for Mathematics Education

Abstract

The article in question aims to present reflections and discussions about mathematical language in teaching and learning. In the first instance, it considers the importance of the grammar of mathematics, that is, of its rules, as a condition of meaning for its propositions. Another point of these reflections concerns the translation of mathematical texts, from the perspective of language games and their applications in education. Beforehand, the fact that certain difficulties in learning mathematics arise from a poor understanding of the grammar of their language stands out. In this sense, the adopted framework consists of epistemological notes and philosophical inferences, without the intention of presenting a methodological bias, but a Wittgensteinian therapeutic perspective, about the significant uses of mathematical concepts in education, as a condition of possibility for teaching and learning of mathemathics. Finally, we present reflections on translation in situations of teaching and learning mathematics and on the possibility of understanding this subject without mastering its grammar.