"Paroles, Paroles. Paroles..." or How to learn new words in a foreign language

Tips and Tricks for Memorizing New Words in a Foreign Language

Being an English teacher I am often asked by my students for some advice on how to remember new words. I have collected some tips and tricks over the years and I want to share them with you. They apply to any language, not only English - they are universal tips for all language learners.

Tip №1 "Say a little prayer "
"In 1944 research on learning through repetition showed that a given bit of information could be learned by 68 consecutive repetitions. However, if the repetitions were not consecutive, the average number of repetitions needed to learn the item in question was just 38."
(From The Complete Idiot's Guide to Improving your Memory)

After reading this I decided that consecutive repetitions were easier for me to do. You only need a string of beads/rosary with 68 beads (like the one in the photo) - and you're good to go. Just repeat the word you are trying to memorise and its translation into your language every time you move a bead and repeat the process until you've done a full circle on your beads.

This exercise is not as bad as it sounds. First of all 68 repetitions is not that many (try it and you will see!). Secondly, doing this creates kind of a meditative and mindfulness state where you are using different senses and "being in the moment". It does not require intense concentration (you can look out of the window while doing that) and it is surprisingly relaxing and above all effective!

The reason I prefer consecutive repetition is that non-consecutive (or spaced) repetitions mean that you have to plan to do you repetitions several times with the intervals of several hours/days, which is harder to plan for busy or lazy people. I prefer to be over and done with things in one sitting.

Tip №2 Clench your fists
"Clench your right fist for 45 seconds as you memorise something, then your left, as you store the memory - you'll recall the info better, say researchers at Montclair University, USA. It is thought these gestures activate parts of the brain used for recall."
(From Healthy magazine)

Tip №3 Would you like some chewing gum?
"People who chewed gum had 10% faster reaction times and improved memory (one theory is that chewing increases heart rate, improving the delivery of oxygen to the brain)."
(From Healthy magazine)

Tip №4 Have your words in your pocket
Spend some time preparing flashcards with a word/a phrase  in the language you are learning on one side and its translation/definition on the reverse. You can take them with you (put them in your pocket or in your handbag) wherever you are going and when you have a spare minute (on public transport, in a traffic jam, in a queue), just take them out one by one, say, from your right pocket, check if you remember what a word/phrase on the card means and if you do, put it in your left pocket. If you don't remember the meaning - put the card back in your right pocket and, hopefully, by the end of the day, all new words will be in your left pocket!

Of course this is a bit of an old-fashioned way of learning, but flashcards have really proven their efficacy over the years and if you are a fan of technology you can use flashcards apps like AnkiApp.

Tip №5 "Say, say, say what you want..."
Always try to make sentences with the newly learnt vocabulary and use the new words as much as you can. If you don't have anyone to talk to, you can talk to yourself, try writing a little story, or a song, or start writing a diary in the language you are learning (even if it is just two or three sentences every day, it helps!). Also there is a fantastic app HelloTalk where you can find native speakers to talk to.

Tip №6 Associations
Make associations. There are various ways to create associations - they can be linked to how the word sounds or to what it reminds you of in your own language; you can create pictures and stories around it and all of this really helps you remember.

One example would be a word "walnut" - translate it in your language or use google images to understand what type of nut it is, then see how this word easily breaks into two - "wall"+"nut" and imagine a picture of yourself throwing walnuts at a wall. Really have a mental picture in your head, bright and bold, spend a couple of minutes enjoying this mental activity of throwing walnuts at a wall.

That's it, next time you want to use this word, the picture will come to mind and you will remember the word.

Tip №7 The Golden Rule of Memory
When we memorize new information it goes into our short-term memory first before being transferred into long-term memory. The short-term memory has the capacity of 7 +/- 2 units, which means you should not try to cram lists of 100 words into your memory. The ideal number of units (words, phrases) to remember is 5 - 9 at a time. Quality is more important than quantity.