Polysemy of symbols: Signs of ambiguity

Abstract

This article explores instances of symbol polysemy within mathematics as it manifests in different areas within the mathematics register. In particular, it illustrates how even basic symbols, such as ‘+’ and ‘1’, may carry with them meaning in ‘new’ contexts that is inconsistent with their use in ‘familiar’ contexts. This article illustrates that knowledge of mathematics includes learning a meaning of a symbol, learning more than one meaning, and learning how to choose the contextually supported meaning of that symbol. Keywords: