­ The language of maths

I’ve­given­a­separate,­albeit­short­chapter­to­this­topic­because­it­causes­so­many­children­ difficulty.

In­the­early­stages­difficulties­are­largely­a­consequence­of­the­peculiarities­and­irregularities­ of­many­maths­words­in­ the­English­language,­for­example­the­use­of­ the­same­words­and­ phrases­in­everyday­life­as­well­as­for­maths­can­be­a­source­of­confusion.­Later­it­is­a­consequence­of­the­way­word­problems­are­written­and­constructed.­So­the­problems­and­confusions­ are­both­with­the­vocabulary­of­maths­and­with­the­language­(semantics)­of­maths.