Language and Mathematics

This collection of papers on Language and Mathematics presented in Working Group 8 at CERME 4 demonstrates some of the complexity of the field and the multiplicity of theoretical approaches taken by researchers. Perhaps we should expect this to be the case, given the field’s positioning at the intersection of disciplines of mathematics, education, linguistics, semiotics, psychology and sociology. Nevertheless, the depth of engagement with theoretical ideas and their application to the empirical field that we may observe in the various papers by both new and experienced researchers makes a serious contribution to developments in this area. In this introduction, we will attempt to map out the field, identifying the various areas of interest for mathematics education, the issues with which researchers must grapple and some of the questions that remain