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How to... Learn a Foreign Language (from Mindtools.com)

Systems Needed:

Link MethodRoman Room Mnemonic

Using the Tools:

Foreign languages are the ideal subject area for the use of memory techniques Learning!ocabulary is often a matter of associating a meaningless collection of syllables "ith a "ord inyour o"n language

Traditionally #eo#le ha!e associated these "ords by re#etition $ by saying the "ord in theiro"n language and the foreign language time and time and time and time again %ou canim#ro!e on this tedious "ay of learning by using three good techniques:

& Using Mnemonics to link "ordsThis is a sim#le e'tension of the link method described in (&& )ere you are using images to

link a "ord in your o"n language "ith a "ord in a foreign language

For e'am#le* in learning +nglish,French !ocabulary:

+nglish: rug,car#et $ French: ta#is $ imagine an ornate oriental car#et "ith a ta# as the centraldesign "o!en in chrome thread+nglish: grum#y $ French: grognon $ a grum#y man groaning "ith irritation+nglish: to tease $ French: taquiner $ a "oman teasing her husband as she takes in the"ashing

This technique "as formali-ed by .r Michael /runeberg* and is kno"n as the 0Link1ord0technique )e has #roduced language books 2an e'am#le is /erman by 3ssociation4 in manylanguage #airs to hel# students acquire the basic !ocabulary needed to get by in the

language 2usually about &555 "ords4 6t is claimed that using this technique this basic!ocabulary can be learned in just &5 hours

7 The To"n Language MnemonicThis is a !ery elegant* effecti!e mnemonic that fuses a so#histicated !ariant of the RomanRoom system "ith the system described abo!e

This de#ends on the fact that the basic !ocabulary of a language relates to e!eryday things:things that you can usually find in a city* to"n or !illage To use the technique* choose a to"nthat you are !ery familiar "ith Use objects "ithin that #lace as the cues to recall the imagesthat link to foreign "ords

Nouns in the to"n:

Nouns should be associated to the most rele!ant locations: for e'am#le* the image coding theforeign "ord for book could be associated "ith a book on a shelf in the library %ou couldassociate the "ord for bread "ith an image of a loaf in a baker0s sho# 1ords for !egetablescould be associated "ith #arts of a dis#lay outside a greengrocer0s 8erha#s there is a farmjust outside the to"n that allo"s all the animal name associations to be made

3djecti!es in the #ark:3djecti!es can be associated "ith a garden or #ark "ithin the to"n: "ords such as green*smelly* bright* small* cold* etc can be easily related to objects in a #ark 8erha#s there is a#ond there* or a small "ood* or #erha#s #eo#le "ith different characteristics are "alkingaround

9erbs in the s#orts center:

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9erbs can most easily be associated "ith a s#orts center or #laying field This allo"s us allthe associations of lifting* running* "alking* hitting* eating* s"imming* dri!ing* etc

Remembering /enders6n a language "here gender is im#ortant* a !ery good method of remembering this is to di!ideyour to"n into t"o main -ones 6n one -one you code information on masculine gender

nouns* "hile in the other -one you code information on feminine nouns 1here the languagehas a neutral gender* then use three -ones %ou can se#arate these areas "ith busy roads*ri!ers* etc To fi' the gender of a noun* sim#ly associate its image "ith a #lace in the correct#art of to"n This makes remembering genders easy

Many Languages* many to"ns3nother elegant s#in$off of the technique comes "hen learning se!eral languages: normallythis can cause confusion 1ith the to"n mnemonic* all you need do is choose a different city*to"n or !illage for each language to be learned 6deally this might be in the rele!ant country8ractically* ho"e!er* you might just decide to use a local to"n "ith the a##ro#riate foreignfla!or

; The hundred most common "ords

Tony