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

com) Systems Needed: Link Method Roman 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 in your o"n language Traditionally #eo#le ha!e associated these "ords by re#etition $ by saying the "ord in their o"n language and the foreign language time and time and time and time again %ou can im#ro!e on this tedious "ay of learning by using three good techniques: & Using Mnemonics to link "ords This 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 central design "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 0Link1ord0 technique )e has #roduced language books 2an e'am#le is /erman by 3ssociation4 in many language #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 Mnemonic This is a !ery elegant* effecti!e mnemonic that fuses a so#histicated !ariant of the Roman Room 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"n that you are !ery familiar "ith Use objects "ithin that #lace as the cues to recall the images that 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 the foreign "ord for book could be associated "ith a book on a shelf in the library %ou could associate the "ord for bread "ith an image of a loaf in a baker0s sho# 1ords for !egetables could be associated "ith #arts of a dis#lay outside a greengrocer0s 8erha#s there is a farm just 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 "alking around

9erbs in the s#orts center:

9erbs can most easily be associated "ith a s#orts center or #laying field This allo"s us all the associations of lifting* running* "alking* hitting* eating* s"imming* dri!ing* etc Remembering /enders 6n a language "here gender is im#ortant* a !ery good method of remembering this is to di!ide your 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 language has 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"ns 3nother elegant s#in$off of the technique comes "hen learning se!eral languages: normally this can cause confusion 1ith the to"n mnemonic* all you need do is choose a different city* to"n or !illage for each language to be learned 6deally this might be in the rele!ant country 8ractically* ho"e!er* you might just decide to use a local to"n "ith the a##ro#riate foreign fla!or ; The hundred most common "ords Tony <u-an* in his book 0Using your Memory0* #oints out that just &55 "ords com#rise =5> of all "ords used in con!ersation in a language Learning this core &55 "ords gets you a long "ay to"ards being able to s#eak in that language* albeit at a basic le!el The &55 basic "ords used in con!ersation are sho"n belo": & 3*an 7 3fter ; 3gain ? 3ll = 3lmost @ 3lso ( 3l"ays A 3nd B <ecause &5 <efore && <ig &7 <ut &; 264 can &? 264 come &= +ither,or &@ 264 find &( First &A For &B Friend 75 From 7& 264 go 77 /ood 7; /ood$bye 7? )a##y 7= 264 ha!e 7@ )e 7( )ello 7A )ere 7B )o" ;5 6 ;& 264 am ;7 6f ;; 6n ;? 264 kno" ;= Last ;@ 264 like ;( Little ;A 264 lo!e ;B 264 make ?5 Many ?& Cne ?7 More ?; Most ?? Much ?= My ?@ Ne" ?( No ?A Not ?B No" =5 Cf =& Cften =7 Cn =; Cne =? Cnly == Cr =@ Cther =( Cur =A Cut =B C!er @5 8eo#le @& 8lace @7 8lease @; Same @? 264 see @= She @@ So @( Some @A Sometimes @B Still (5 Such (& 264 tell (7 Thank you (; That (? The (= Their (@ Them (( Then (A There is (B They A5 Thing A& 264 think A7 This A; Time A? To A= Under A@ U# A( Us AA 264 use AB 9ery B5 1e B& 1hat B7 1hen B; 1here B? 1hich B= 1ho B@ 1hy B( 1ith BA %es BB %ou &55 %our 2+'tract re#roduced from Use %our Memory by Tony <u-an "ith the #ermission of <<D 1orld"ide Limited* E Tony <u-an4 Summary The three a##roaches to learning foreign languages sho"n here can be !ery effecti!e They hel# to #oint out: the most im#ortant "ords to learn sho" ho" to link "ords in your o"n language to "ords in a foreign language* and sho" ho" to structure recall of the language through use of the to"n mnemonic