The Language of Proofs: A Philosophical Corpus Linguistics Study of Instructions and Imperatives in Mathematical Texts

Fenner Stanley Tanswell () and Matthew Inglis ()
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Fenner Stanley Tanswell: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science
Matthew Inglis: Loughborough University, Department of Mathematics Education

A chapter in Handbook of the History and Philosophy of Mathematical Practice, 2024, pp 2925-2952 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract A common description of a mathematical proof is as a logically structured sequence of assertions, beginning from accepted premises and proceeding by standard inference rules to a conclusion. Does this description match the language of proofs as mathematicians write them in their research articles? In this chapter, we use methods from corpus linguistics to look at the prevalence of imperatives and instructions in mathematical preprints from the arXiv repository. We find thirteen verbs that are used most often to form imperatives in proofs, and that these show up significantly more often within proofs than in the surrounding mathematical writing. We also show that there are many more verbs used to form a diverse selection of instructions in proofs. These findings are at odds with the view of proofs as sequences of assertions. Instead, we argue in favour of the recipe model of proofs: that proofs are like recipes, giving instructions for mathematical actions to be carried out.

Keywords: Proof; Mathematical language; Corpus linguistics; Instructions; Imperatives (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-40846-5_50

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