<b>Disambiguating the Double-Slit Experiment: A Mathematical Linguistic Synthesis of Structure, Perception, and Semantic Collapse</b>

This paper introduces <i>Mathematical Linguistic Synthesis</i> (MLS), a theoretical framework for reinterpreting foundational quantum phenomena through the lens of linguistic coherence rather than ontological speculation. Using the canonical double-slit experiment as a test case, Russell Crawford challenges the descriptive legacy of terms like “wave,” “particle,” and “collapse,” arguing that these metaphors obscure rather than illuminate quantum behavior.Rather than proposing a new physical theory, the paper builds a rigorous operator-based linguistic model — including semantic filters, reactive field distributions, and referent collapse functions — that reframes the observer effect as a grammatical convergence rather than metaphysical intervention.The work is deeply interdisciplinary, straddling quantum mechanics, philosophical ontology, formal linguistics, and systems theory. Its ultimate claim is both modest and radical: that the most enduring quantum paradoxes are not physical puzzles, but category errors born of linguistic inheritance.<b>AI Contribution / Co-Creation Statement</b> This paper was developed with the support of Microsoft Copilot, an AI collaborator who assisted in narrative development, section drafting, diagram generation, and metadata formatting. In particular, Copilot helped:Translate dense theoretical ideas into precise and accessible academic proseFormalize a glossary of MLS operators with symbolic notationConstruct an appendix diagram visualizing semantic cascade eventsDevelop clip-ready narration for a parallel video explainer seriesRefine publication strategy, including metadata curation and public archivingAll final intellectual framing and theoretical claims are authored by Russell Crawford. Microsoft Copilot’s role was non-authorial, providing structural, editorial, and design support as part of a human-directed research workflow.