Mnemonics and memorization of foreign words.
In the process of learning a foreign language, the method of phonetic associations and the method of interaction of all sensations can be useful. Nowadays, some centers for teaching foreign languages actively use them in their educational programs. How can these techniques help you easily learn foreign words?
The method of phonetic associations is based on the fact that in most modern languages there are words similar in sound and meaning (for example, “journal” — “journal”), but more often they sound almost the same, and the meaning is completely different. They are also called “false friends of the translator”, more about which you can read on Wikipedia. We are interested in them due to the fact that it is easier to remember a new word if you associatively choose a consonant with it in your native language. As an example, the English word “resin” (resin) is consonant with the Russian “rubber”. Since both substances are polymers, a similar tarry mass is formed during their combustion, which can be a unifying aspect.Gorenje The example is not the easiest, but we give it only as a kind of demonstration of the method.
The essence of the method of interaction of all sensations boils down to the fact that in the process of learning a foreign language, it is necessary to associate the corresponding concept with a certain word. You need to remember not the translation of the word into your native language (“flower” — “flower”), but try to create an image of a flower in your mind. This is a useful method, since association with a concept, not a translation, makes it possible to literally speak it when speaking a foreign language, and not translate what you want to say from Russian into English first in your head, and then using it in speech.
Everyone who studied a foreign language at school or on courses remembers that the training was divided into thematic blocks: food, shopping, sports, vacations, etc. Structuring, applied together with the method of interaction of all sensations, will give the best result, because it will allow you to combine the images created for each word into subject groups, which will facilitate their memorization.
The undoubted advantage of using mnemonics is that even despite the lack of language practice, after a long time you will be able to recall this or that word associatively. At the same time, many criticize such a method as “disconnected” from the real language, because memorizing a word as a cumulative set of defining characteristics, and even in another language (the method of phonetic associations), leads to difficulties in constructing rapid speech in the future.
Recommendations and tips
How effective is the learning process using mnemonics, we will let everyone decide for themselves. In the same block, we tried to collect practical recommendations from various educational resources, textbooks and online materials for those who want to learn how to memorize foreign words easily and quickly:
There is a statistic that at least 30% of new words are remembered when they are transferred to their own dictionary. This partly explains the harsh demands of teachers to keep a notebook for writing new words.
If you need to learn a lot of words in a specific period of time, make cards, write down a foreign word on one side, a translation on the other and always carry them with you. As soon as there is a free minute, take out the cards and repeat the words.
The easiest way to remember new words is while reading. Read everything in a foreign language: books, magazines, newspapers in any format convenient for you. Check new words immediately using the dictionary, translator, thesaurus built into Word. The advantage is that you can easily fit all this into your phone or tablet and study in your free time anywhere.
If you need to read and understand complex texts without looking at every word in the dictionary (even if 60% of the words are unfamiliar and incomprehensible), then try to build understanding on an associative series of words known to you. Thus, you find points, clues that you understand, and mentally think out what the meaning is in the whole text, intuitively learning to understand what is written in the text.
New words are better remembered during communication. Find people of interest on social networks or Skype and practice language with them.
If learning a foreign language is a task of paramount importance for you, make a schedule of independent studies. Determine the time at which you will be able to study most effectively and so that no one interferes with you. Set specific goals based on your needs (professional topics, oral language development), specify how many words you want to study per day/week/month. Ventilate the room before starting classes. Take breaks to rest, celebrate your successes and reward yourself for diligence.
Use various online resources for training, fixing and testing.
To help students
The modern world with its rapid development of information technology gives us many ways to improve in almost any field.
http://www.newsinlevels.com / – news from all over the world on all kinds of topics with difficulty levels from beginner to advanced.
https://www.youtube.com / – with the help of this video hosting, the greatest opportunities open up: from watching British and American TV programs to online lectures by famous Oxford and Harvard teachers. But this requires at least an average level of language proficiency.
https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com / – a thematic selection with many games for learning new words by category. Interactively intuitive interface, wide selection. Suitable for both children and adults.