Similarities and differences between studying languages and Mathematics
The one aspect that distinguishes humans from other animals, it is considered to be the ability to
properly use a language and communicate among each other. Moreover, it is considered that about
1.75 million years ago, the prehistoric people first began to speak due to the fact that they achieved
a technological breakthrough. The main reason for the development of speech, is considered to be
the creation of stone hand axes, used by the hominis to hunt in order to survive (King, 2013). On
the other hand, mathematics has existed ever since the creation of humankind since it was used by
the prehistoric people to count how much food they were going to eat for the day and calculate
how much time is going to take them for the construction of a certain tool. Additionally, every
region in the world, had its own interpretation of mathematics and its purpose (English, 2019).
Therefore, the language is a tool of communication which mainly focuses on signs, symbols, and
words, whereas mathematics is the science and study of logic, structure, space and change among
various variables (Hom and Gordon, 2021). The basic definition and concepts are different, but
studying a language and studying mathematics, has both similarities and differences.
Studying a language is intended to focus more on the aspect of memorization. As mentioned above,
a language is the combination of words in order to formulate a logical and proper sentence.
Therefore, people start from memorizing words to study a language. After learning new words and
how to adequately express oneself, then a person can proceed to the main reason why language
was invented in the first place, which is so that people could communicate between each other.
Conversely, mathematics’ main focus is related to solving problems and looking for a solution,
rather than memorizing a certain information. Moreover, different languages around the world
have distinctive structures. For instance, the word order of Korean is different from that of English
or any other European language. The correct word order in Korean is subject-object-verb, whereas
the proper word order in English is subject-verb-object. In contrast, mathematics uses symbols and
formulas which are identical globally. For example, 2 + 2 would always equal 2 in every country
in the world no matter their traditions and language. Additionally, this rule is also valid for
formulas used to calculate a certain variable, regardless of the language in which the subject is
taught. Finally, for studying a language, the importance of something, could be meaningless to
somebody else since they have different interpretation for their surroundings and points of views.
Therefore, linguistics is divided into several parts such as syntax, pragmatics, semantics, phonetics,
phonology, and morphology (UC SANTA CRUZ, 2022).
Apart from those differences, language and mathematics have similarities as well. Both language
and mathematics require the person to be aware of all the basic principles and formulas in order to
be able to make proper use of those languages. For instance, in every language around the world,
you would first have to learn the alphabet and all the letters in it, so that you could form words and
sentences. Likewise, in mathematics, you would first have to learn all the numbers and the various
variables from a formula in an effort to successfully calculate it. Additionally, in order for
somebody to excel in both fields, they would have to incorporate regular practice into their routine.
In conclusion, there are many differences and similarities between learning a language and
learning mathematics, however, they differ content wise and the way they share the same core
principles as other subjects, which is regular practice and first mastering the basics. Whether you
want to excel at a certain field, concentration and practice are essential.
Sources:
Hom, E., & Gordon, J. (2021). What is Mathematics?. livescience.com. Retrieved 21 May 2022,
from https://www.livescience.com/38936-mathematics.html.
The Basics of Korean Sentence Structure & Word Order. KoreanClass101.com Blog. (2022).
Retrieved 21 May 2022, from https://www.koreanclass101.com/blog/2020/08/07/korean-wordorder/#:~:text=1.,always%20subject%20%E2%80%93%20object%20%E2%80%93%20verb.
What is Linguistics? Linguistics.ucsc.edu. (2022). Retrieved 21 May 2022, from
https://linguistics.ucsc.edu/about/what-is-linguistics.html.
King, B. (2013). NPR Cookie Consent and Choices. Npr.org. Retrieved 6 June 2022, from
https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2013/09/05/219236801/when-did-human-speechevolve?t=1654525856085.
English, T. (2019). Has Math Been Around Forever or Did Someone Invent It?.
Interestingengineering.com. Retrieved 6 June 2022, from
https://interestingengineering.com/who-exactly-invented-math.