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I hear a significant number of English-second-language speakers, English-first-language children, and less educated English-first-language peers, say

x equals to three times sine alpha

For example, when reading x = 3 sin(α).

I read this "x equals three times...", and I believe that to be the correct pronunciation and hear it more commonly among mathematicians in formal settings and among well-educated/well-read English-first-language speakers.

So what's origin of this (mis) pronunciation?

I am genuinely interested in how it came to be so pervasive among less fluent English speakers.

It seems to be common to hear x = 3 sin(α) pronounced as

x equals to three sine alpha

I would read x = 3 sin(α) as "x equals three ...", and I believe this to be the correct pronunciation and hear it more commonly among mathematicians in formal settings and among well-read English-first-language speakers.

So what's origin of the "equals to" (mis?) pronunciation? How did it come to be so pervasive?

I hear a significant number of English-second-language speakers, English-first-language children, and less educated English-first-language peers, say

x equals to three times sine alpha

For example, when reading x = 3 sin(α).

I read this "x equals three times...", and I believe that to be the correct pronunciation and hear it more commonly among mathematicians in formal settings and among well-educated/well-read English-first-language speakers.

So what's origin of this (mis) pronunciation?

I am genuinely interested in how it came to be so pervasive.

I hear a significant number of English-second-language speakers, English-first-language children, and less educated English-first-language peers, say

x equals to three times sine alpha

For example, when reading x = 3 sin(α).

I read this "x equals three times...", and I believe that to be the correct pronunciation and hear it more commonly among mathematicians in formal settings and among well-educated/well-read English-first-language speakers.

So what's origin of this (mis) pronunciation?

I am genuinely interested in how it came to be so pervasive among less fluent English speakers.

I hear a significant number of English-second-language speakers, English-first-language children, and less educated English-first-language peers, say

x equals to three times sine alpha

For example, when reading x = 3 sin(α).

I read this "x equals three times...", and I believe that to be the correct pronunciation and hear it more commonly among mathematicians in formal settings and among well-educated/well-read English-first-language speakers.

So why do so many other people pronounce the equals sign as "equals to"?

I am genuinely interested in the origin of this ever-more pervasive (mis?) pronunciation.

I hear a significant number of English-second-language speakers, English-first-language children, and less educated English-first-language peers, say

x equals to three times sine alpha

For example, when reading x = 3 sin(α).

I read this "x equals three times...", and I believe that to be the correct pronunciation and hear it more commonly among mathematicians in formal settings and among well-educated/well-read English-first-language speakers.

So what's origin of this (mis) pronunciation?

I am genuinely interested in how it came to be so pervasive.