How To Remember A Foreign Language in 3 Easy Steps

Mnemonic Effect

Research tells us that visual memory is a very powerful tool. This is why we find it easier to remember someones face instead of their name. If we can therefore use visual images to remember words, then we will remember them a lot easier then simply trying to imprint the words into our heads.

By using this Mnemonic system you will be able to learn your chosen language easier and a lot quicker.

What Are Mnemonics?

Mnemonics by definition are simply learning techniques, devices or tools that aid in retention of new information. They are specifically designed to improve your memory.

Some common mnemonics that you may already be familiar with are

• ROYGBIV for remembering the colours of the rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet)
• Every, Good, Boy, Deserves, Fruit for remember the staff lines or notes on a treble clef (E, G, B, D, F)
• Righty tighty, lefty loosey for remember which way to turn a screw to tighten or undo it
• SOH CAH TOA for remembering the sides of triangle in trigonometry

Choosing An Effective Mnemonic

There are three steps to consider when choosing a good mnemonic:

1. The mnemonic should be more memorable than the information it represents

If your chosen mnemonic requires you to commit a lot separate pieces of information to remember one (eg five separate numbers to remember a single word) then consider finding an alternative.

The more outrageous or unexpected your mnemonic, the better (eg. the suited deer), our brains love novel ideas and the more interesting or intriguing the idea, the easier it is to remember.

Sometimes it even helps if your mnemonics are explicit but to keep a PG rating on my blog I’m going to avoid sharing explicit mnemonics examples including the ones I have created for myself to help remember certain Spanish words.

2. It helps if the mnemonic is visual

Our minds are wired to remember visual images. This is why it is far easier to remember a face than a name when you meet someone new. In other words, the image of the person is easy to retain because it is a visual but a name is an abstract concept. It is much harder to commit abstract concepts to memory than images. Hint: You can also create visual mnemonics to help remember people’s names.

When brainstorming concepts for Spanish words always see if you can find a visual first before you consider other mnemonics such as rhymes or clever turns of phrase.

3. Ideally the mnemonic should be easily tied back to the meaning of the word

The picture of a grassy-arse is an example of a mnemonic for remembering thank you in Spanish (Gracias).

The image of the ‘grassy-arse’ fits the first two criteria because it is simple, visual and unexpected. Where it falls over is that it is difficult to link the image back to the abstract idea of thanking someone.

Maybe you could imagine that someone gave you this grassy arse and being sarcastic you said… thanks!

I hope you enjoyed this blog are on your way to a better memory and a more fluent language.

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Credit to realfastspanish for the information on how to improve your memory as seen in this blog.