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Language and Lexical Ambiguity in the Probability Register

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Teaching and Learning Stochastics

Part of the book series: ICME-13 Monographs ((ICME13Mo))

Abstract

Because objects in probability are not physically visible, humans must describe them through language. The descriptive words and symbols, taken from everyday life, mathematics, and other sources, form the probability register. Many terms do not have precisely the same meaning in probability as in other registers, creating confusion called lexical ambiguity. This chapter develops the probability register, starting from its basis in mathematics. Specific terms examined include random, independence, likely, probable, and other scale words. Variations for students learning probability in a non-native language are included. It is suggested that reducing lexical ambiguity requires research into misconceptions leading to better formed definitions and representations, followed by teachers’ explicit attention to vocabulary.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Statistics, Oklahoma State University, 301 Math Sciences, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Adam Molnar

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  1. Adam Molnar
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Correspondence to Adam Molnar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias de la EducaciĂłn, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Carmen Batanero

  2. College of Education, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Egan J Chernoff

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Molnar, A. (2018). Language and Lexical Ambiguity in the Probability Register. In: Batanero, C., Chernoff, E. (eds) Teaching and Learning Stochastics. ICME-13 Monographs. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72871-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72871-1_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-72870-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-72871-1

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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