Comments on: Math in the News: Counting without Language http://www.mathgoespop.com/2008/08/math-in-the-news-counting-without-language.html Ruminations on the Intersection Between Mathematics and Popular Culture Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:07:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: motivatedgrammar http://www.mathgoespop.com/2008/08/math-in-the-news-counting-without-language.html/comment-page-1#comment-22 motivatedgrammar Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:06:00 +0000 http://www.mathgoespop.com/2008/08/math-in-the-news-counting-without-language.html#comment-22 Also, you may be interested in the recent research on the Piraha. They're an Amazonian tribe that appears not to use linguistic recursion, which is totally irrelevant to your point. The more relevant point is that there has been some question, if I remember correctly, as to what their counting abilities are. Also, you may be interested in the recent research on the Piraha. They’re an Amazonian tribe that appears not to use linguistic recursion, which is totally irrelevant to your point. The more relevant point is that there has been some question, if I remember correctly, as to what their counting abilities are.

]]> By: Gabe http://www.mathgoespop.com/2008/08/math-in-the-news-counting-without-language.html/comment-page-1#comment-21 Gabe Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:03:00 +0000 http://www.mathgoespop.com/2008/08/math-in-the-news-counting-without-language.html#comment-21 In a lot of ways, this is part of a larger linguistic question: the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. The SWH (loosely) says that our language usage shapes our thoughts. Obviously that's true to some extent, but how much? Does not having a word for a concept prevent you from understanding the concept? Almost certainly not, and I think that's what this study shows in the special case of numbers.<br/><br/>The bigger question is whether lacking a word for a concept impedes understanding, and if so how much. I guess it would be interesting to compare counting abilities of 'one-two-many' speakers and 'one-two-three' speakers.<br/><br/>All that said, though, I would be very reluctant to say that this indicates that there is any innateness to counting. And even if counting is innate, counting could exist as a skill separate from any math. People could think of the number line as no more logically ordered than the alphabet. '3' follows '2' as surely as 'C' follows 'B', and if you hit a stick nine times, I could count up to 'G', but that doesn't mean that I would associate 'G' with the abstract mathematical notion of nine.<br/><br/>But I may be saying all this in hopes that Count Von Count will stay gainfully employed. The aristocracy doesn't pay as well as it used to. In a lot of ways, this is part of a larger linguistic question: the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. The SWH (loosely) says that our language usage shapes our thoughts. Obviously that’s true to some extent, but how much? Does not having a word for a concept prevent you from understanding the concept? Almost certainly not, and I think that’s what this study shows in the special case of numbers.

The bigger question is whether lacking a word for a concept impedes understanding, and if so how much. I guess it would be interesting to compare counting abilities of ‘one-two-many’ speakers and ‘one-two-three’ speakers.

All that said, though, I would be very reluctant to say that this indicates that there is any innateness to counting. And even if counting is innate, counting could exist as a skill separate from any math. People could think of the number line as no more logically ordered than the alphabet. ’3′ follows ’2′ as surely as ‘C’ follows ‘B’, and if you hit a stick nine times, I could count up to ‘G’, but that doesn’t mean that I would associate ‘G’ with the abstract mathematical notion of nine.

But I may be saying all this in hopes that Count Von Count will stay gainfully employed. The aristocracy doesn’t pay as well as it used to.

]]> By: Cameron http://www.mathgoespop.com/2008/08/math-in-the-news-counting-without-language.html/comment-page-1#comment-20 Cameron Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:11:00 +0000 http://www.mathgoespop.com/2008/08/math-in-the-news-counting-without-language.html#comment-20 i. love. that you have a math blog. i. love. that you have a math blog.

]]> By: Sandy http://www.mathgoespop.com/2008/08/math-in-the-news-counting-without-language.html/comment-page-1#comment-19 Sandy Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:00:00 +0000 http://www.mathgoespop.com/2008/08/math-in-the-news-counting-without-language.html#comment-19 You had better get a comment from Gabe-o on this one! You had better get a comment from Gabe-o on this one!

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