Are English Teachers the First Math Teachers? A Comparison of English and Mathematics Syntax

Abstract: The narrative presented hereafter will demonstrate the similarities of syntactic systems in formal written English and in generalized systems of standard computational algebra. The argument is made that algebraic systems can be taught using generalizations from written English syntax. This argument will be characterized in three parts: 1) describing the development of axiomatic systems in mathematics, 2) demonstrating the similar structure of the foundational elements used in English and mathematics, and 3) illustrating how mathematical process may be characterized by providing practical examples from written English