English Language & Usage Asked on May 15, 2021
Often in mathematical writing I read (and write) constructions such as
For G a finite group, the character algebra is defined as …
For X and Y sets, a function from X to Y is …
The general structure here is
For NAME a TYPE, SOMETHING is true
i.e. we give something of a certain type a name, and then state some property or definition.
I’m not a native speaker, so I’m wondering if these constructions are correct in standard English, or if it is simply a product of a lot of non-native speakers contributing to science, and adding their own language’s quirks into their writing.
My questions: Does it have a name? Is it formally/grammatically correct?
The structure can be explained:
is essentially a variant of
and can be considered a deleted form of
................ Similarly,
For the situation where X and Y are [suitable] sets, a function from X to Y is ...
Mathspeak is preferred to the perhaps rather unprofessional-sounding spelled-out versions.
The 'suitable' is pragmatic, to pre-empt the arranging of silly, arbitrary (though 'legitimate' from other considerations) mappings. People's shoe sizes mapping to their favourite pets.
Answered by Edwin Ashworth on May 15, 2021
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