How come math is universal when language and alphabets are not?
In: 2
Well, this is kind of an issue with the phrasing.
First off, numbers are NOT universal to all cultures. The adoption of Arabic numerals (which were actually from India) has occurred worldwide, but mostly out of necessity. If I want to sell a widget in France and I am in China, we have to use the same numerals and measuring system. In terms of indigenous numerals, there are a ton out there. Roman numerals were used in Europe. Egyptians had their version. The Babylonians used a base-60 system of numerals instead of a base ten. Some cultures literally don’t have the traditional concept of numerals beyond “one, two, none,” and “many.”
Beyond that, the fact is math always adds up to the same result, assuming the same numbers are used.
1 + 1 will always give me 2. Assuming I am “translating,” across cultures correctly (and they have the concept of addition, etc)
Arabic numerals are also easy to learn. At least in comparison to a whole language.
You have ten figures to memorize and some things like “+” or “-“. You don’t need to worry about pronunciation across cultures either. On paper “1” is “1”. No need to worry about “one or uno.” Once you know your ten basic numbers, you can communicate with anyone else who knows the same system.
In fact, this is used by Chinese immigrants to the US a lot. The network of “Chinatown buses,” that cover the US will often just show a price and then a zip code. Which is the fare from where you are to the other location. I have even seen job listings where it was simply a zip code and a salary and how many people they needed. You can communicate a lot with numbers if you need to. Keep in mind too, that China is a polyglot nation. Cantonese and Mandarin are not the same language. China was unified in part because of their language, which, like numbers, only requires you to match a symbol with a concept. No phonetics needed. If you are a poor immigrant (as opposed to a wealthier one who has resources,) Arabic numerals are a simple way to communicate some basic things amongst people who may be culturally, but not linguistically the same.
Latest Answers