Language Learning Resources

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Memory Techniques

Memory is very important in language learning, so I've compiled some techniques to help improve memory.

Drinking one eight ounce glass of concord grape juice a day improves memory by 20%.

Moving your eyes from side to side for 30 seconds each morning improves memory by 10%.

Playing sudoku, doing crosswords or other games help to stimulate the brain. You can find a few free games specialized to help with memory at Lumosity, but if you want access to the entire site, you have to pay to sign up.

Having an active social life, as well as doing aerobics and taking small naps throughout the day have also been proven to increase memory.

Use bright, positive, pleasant images to remember things, rather than drab ones. If you can put some humor to the scenes, it will help even more.

Using codes is also suggested for taking notes. Writing codes using partial words, pictures and symbols is a lot more effective than writing out whole words.

Relating new information to information that you already know is also helpful.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Vocabulary Learning Techniques IV

This method requires either some sort of smart alarm or an assistant. You can learn up to 50 words at a time using this method. You begin by recording a list of words in the target language with the translation. Before going to sleep, read the list of words out loud, then listen to the recording twice making sure to repeat the words aloud. Afterward, go to sleep. Once you have fallen asleep, either set an alarm to play the recordings or have someone do it for you. The recording should play over and over for 40 minutes, and the alarm or your assistant should gradually lower the volume until turning it off. This process should be repeated 30 minutes before you are supposed to wake up, although this time, the volume should gradually get higher, reaching a high enough volume to wake you up at the end of 30 minutes. Listen to the rest of the recording before getting out of bed. You should have memorized the words by then.

Another good method is to label the furniture and things in your house. Making the flashcards in the first place, will help begin the learning process, but each time you see the labels, the words will be reinforced. Then when you see unlabeled items in other rooms or in other people's house, you will remember the words again.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Vocabulary Learning Techniques III

One way to memorize new words is to group them using the environment technique. You can do this by memorizing the word for bakery. You visualize the entire bakery, so you also learn the words for baker, bread, butter, flour, oven and anything else you might find there. You picture each item in the bakery as you say the words to yourself aloud or in your head.

Another good way to learn new words is by reading bilingual books, which contain one page in the target language and the opposite page in your foreign language. This will make reading much easier, since you won't need a dictionary.

A great technique is to learn the hundred strong words of the language. These words will be different depending on the language, but the theory is that every language has a hundred strong words that cover over 50% of the words used in conversation. Learning these words will make conversation a lot easier.

Vocabulary Learning Techniques II

If you learn better by a hands on approach, one technique is to experience the word you are trying to learn. For example if you are learning the word for 'cake' in Spanish, which is 'pastel', you might want to make a cake, buy a cake or see one, say the word out loud and cut it and even say the word out loud before you eat some.

Another way to learn, is to transfer the words to your subconscious. Before you go to bed, make a list of 20 words. As with all memorizing efforts, focus on memorizing the words for good. Right before you are going to go to sleep, read the first word and translation aloud, while imagining what it looks like in your mind. Then read it again in a whisper, while doing the same thing, then whisper it again with your eyes closed. Rest for 15 seconds before going on to the next word.

Another technique, although it's kind of tedious, is by making and using flashcards. By making each card, you are already learning the words. It is often better to put a picture instead of the word in your native tongue, that way you will remain immersed in the language. You can also find flashcards online at Flashcard Exchange

Vocabulary Learning Techniques

One of the techniques I have come across is called word linking. The idea is to link words that you know from your native language to the words you are learning in the target language, then create an image that combines them both. For example, if you are trying to learn the word 'matin' in French, which means 'morning', you would think of a similar word, such as 'matinee'. You would picture someone going to a matinee in the morning.

Another technique is to write down about 20-25 words in your target language on the left side of a piece of paper, and their equivalents in your native language on the right side. You then read the entire page. Afterward, take a ten minute break, then go back and read the right side of the page with the words in your native tongue. As you read each word, try to remember how to say it in the target language. Skip over the words you can't recall and go back to them later. Take a 5 minute break, then try again, focusing first on the hardest words to recall. Try to review the page until you can remember all the words, then try to recall the words 7-10 hours later, and again 24 hours later. You should have them memorized after 4 revisions.

A passive method of learning vocabulary is to listen to a recording of vocabulary words in the target language with translations in your native language. Keep the recording on repeat at a normal volume and after many playbacks you will learn the words passively without having paid much attention to them. This technique can be used with 40 to 50 words.

Another trick is to create a list of words and put them on the wall in the bathroom. Every time you use the bathroom, make sure to read the list of words. This is a bit less tedious, since you aren't taking too much time out of your day to do it, and you're combining it with something you do regularly anyways.