Dear Rayalu.

I agree with you if you consider the abstract systematic component in language. I mean from a pure structuralist point of view...But language is not only the denotational  meaning but also the pragmatic and the inferential meanings ..actually they make more then 80 percent. Seen from this perspective the knowledge of languages may constitute a handicap rather than a plus...But again it is very relative because even the pragmatic and inferential rules are systematic after all though we still do not all the acting variables.

To my mind, Math is very shallow except when we deal with quantum math or some classical math problems such as partial derivatives, factorizing and algorithms...

Once one knows the trick ,except quantum math because it is linked with philosophy ,one is able to repeat the same pattern-there is no creativity I suppose...But at least math keeps our brains working and expands our neurons like learning a new language etc. I hope I made some sense in what I wrote! 

There might be a link.  A recent (yet unpublished) study "CLIL And Cognition: Taking It To The Next Level" by Jill Surmont*, Piet Van De Craen, Esli Struys, Thomas Somers (Free University of Brussels) was presented at the AILA Worldcongress 2014 in Brisbane last summer.  It showed that Flemish CLIL students (who had part of their instruction in English) outperformed students in regular classes in maths.

Mathematics is a language on its own. The understanding of mathematical concepts and application require a language skill also. Most of the time, terminology used in our evberyday language has other implications in mathematics.

Dear Rayalu,

It could be that you find this article interesting:

The developmental relationship between language and low early numeracy skills throughout kindergarten

Sylke W.M. Toll, Johannes E.H. Van Luit

Exceptional Children

DOI: 10.1177/0014402914532233

While I have no analytic research to site my observation with working with and being around hundreds of children show that children who speak at an early age tend to do well in math.  I believe there is a correlation between the two.  Math is in fact a language and children who develop speech at an early age tend to learn faster and can learn multiple languages including math by kindergarten.  Children learn form the womb  see Cell Press. "Babies' Language Learning Starts From The Womb." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 November 2009. .

There is research on mothers listening to mathematical formulas during pregnancy and their children having advanced math skills at an early age.  A child's development along with genetics has a definite effect on language and mathematical ability.

Re: Brahim Bouali's comment:

It seems that you're saying that all math other than "quantum math or some classical math problems such as partial derivatives, factorizing and algorithms" is just a matter of repeating a pattern.  I really don't know where you're coming from with this.  First of all, many of the techniques involved in the types of math you mentioned are very much about repeating patterns.  But more importantly, you seem to be neglecting the entire arena of research mathematics, or even advanced mathematics.  To list all the types of math that are not just about repeating a pattern would be so exhausting that I think it'd be easier to list the ones that are.

On the other hand, if the topic is about the relationship between learning languages and learning up to high school level math, then you have a point.  Most of the approaches to those types of courses are, unfortunately, focused on just applying formulas and simple algorithms.

Regardless, one commonality between the pedagogical approaches there is that both language courses and math courses are heavily cumulative, with strict prerequisites enforcing sequences.

Dear Joe,

Give me one example not linked with quantum math.

I'm assuming that by quantum math, you mean mathematics associated with quantum mechanics?  Well that would be just a small subset of applied mathematics in general, so there's tons of examples within applied math of non-trivial problems!

I work in pure math, which by definition is never quantum math because it is the study of mathematical structures before/independent of their scientific applications.  So are you really saying that every problem that my colleges and I study is trivial?  No offense but it really doesn't seem like you know what math is.

As for the example you requested, here are a few off the top of my head:

arithmetic Kleinian groups (that's what I study)

algebraic number theory

differential galois theory

abstract algebra and number theory in general!

hyperbolic topology

geometric group theory

topology and geometry in general!

model theory

set theory and logic

This list could be as long as you like!!  Like I said, I mean no offense, but you should be careful saying something like what you said on what is supposed to be a research level website.

Dear Joe,

You are right. I was wrong. I think my interest in quantum mechanics blinded my eyesight-the observer's paradox again. By the way when you apply partial derivatives in Einstein's field equations or Schrodinger hydrogen atom it becomes really complex and funny..

Anyway, I hereby retreat my offensive words and ask pardon from all the pure math community-it is always good to know..

Thanks

No problem - glad I was able to show you the light!

I have developed a series of 10-15 minute power point lessons on the grammar of algebra -- what are the nouns, verbs and sentences (both their syntax and semantics). The semantics discussion led to a concrete, physically explicit way for kids to see how the method of equivalent equations and inequalities worked. The meaning of x+3=5 I came up with was that it is shorthand for an infinite list of statements

        ... -3+3=5, -2+3=5, -1+3=5, 0+3=5, 1+3=5, 2+3=5, 3+3=5 ...

I know that if x+3=5 then x+3+a = 5+a is logically obvious. But young children are not mathematicians or theoreticians. They are natural born experimental scientists, and at this age, even gifted kids don't yet believe logic always works. For them the proof is in the pudding

My best results were with gifted 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students. At the end of 7 eighty minute sessions, not only were they solving fairly complex linear equations and inequalities, on the last day I got them, as a group, to think their way through solving (x+1)(x-2)/(x+4) = 0. They were able to argue that -1 and 2 were the only solutions.

Rayulu,

We argue that mathematics is a language in the following article. It may be of help to you.

Larkin, K. Jamieson-Proctor, R. & Finger, G. (2012). TPACK and pre-service teacher Mathematics education: Defining a signature pedagogy for Mathematics education using ICT and based on the metaphor ‘Mathematics is a Language’. Computers in the Schools - Special Issue: Technology and Signature Pedagogies

Regards, Kevin.

Teach them in their mother tongue first.

I'm not sure that mathematics be a language. Anyway, Rayalu does not ask this point!

Mathematics is first introduced through a (non-mathematical) tongue. For instance, in English you say: "Mary has two marbles and Peter gives her three marbles; how many marbles has Mary now?" This is not abstract! Children learn counting, adding, and so.

Mathematics is about abstract algebras, of course! But it is also about counting marbles. You may consider marching as an algorithm, but no mother says "left, then right" nor "right, then left". Any mother says "come, my love". Then the toddler begins his or her walk. When children compare their heights, they not have in mind any order relation.

You need to share an idiom to introduce mathematics..

In South Africa we have a similar challenge. Children are not taught in their mother tongue. They are taught in English. Most teachers cannot speak English properly and this is then carried over to the children. I believe that you need to have good language skills to be able to understand the "story" sums as discussed by Moises. Mathematics will remain a challenge till children can understand the concepts brought to them through conventional language - before getting to Mathematical language. The langugae challenge impacts on all subjects - our children are not stupid - they just do not understand English.

For those English teachers who are not native speakers would be interesting to analyse the English language in mathematical domains; this fact will allow them to know the most frequetly structures and fuctions of English language in Maths contexts.

You can teach them using bilingual languages. I suggest that we can first introduce the concepts etc using their mother tongue then they or we translate into English as they seem to understand it, at least they have some ideas of the concepts to be learn at the beginning before they'll start constructing their knowledge during the lesson.

This bring me the idea of how important the mathematics literacy in leaning mathematics. Students should first teach with vocabularies and terms as a concrete preparation (either in English or mother tongue) before we move to the main parts of the lesson. As we say, Mathematic teachers are also language teachers.

excellent remark Teukeva:"As we say, Mathematic teachers are also language teachers."