Tips to aid memorizing

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Tips to aid memorizing



While there is no perfect way to memorize anything, there are methods that can be used to help retain information. The usual way we learn languages is by repeatedly reading the same translation with the hope that some of the words will stay in the memory, but this is rarely useful unless we can make use of the words, in many sentences, and many times.

For myself I try to remember words in patterns. A few examples of word combinations are below. English to Bisaya.the rusty nail ang langsang tai-aon
the pink wall ang bungbung rosa
the beautiful girl ang gwapa na babae



By remember more than one word at a time I`ve created a stronger link in my mind. A deeper memory. It means at a later date I can recall the individual words by remembering the links between words to use in other sentences. A lot of the word combinations I use are absurd to enhance the memory. Strange sentences are unique and so easier to remember.

Another method to remember words is the use of images in the mind. The brain can create images with all of the senses. We can imagine touches, sights, sounds, smells. By creating specific images we can aid the recall of the words we try to remember. Images are by far the most successful way of remembering things and are often best used to remember particularly difficult words. Every year a group of memory experts perform in the World Memoriad competion. Images are by far the most common way of remembering in this tournament.

As an example of remembering a word using images I`ll try to explain how I would remember a word. Lets say we take something like house in english and translate this to chinese fáng 房

We won`t concern ourselves with the Chinese written character, only the pinyin (english way to write chinese). Imagine a giant fang, with all the usual house features. Windows including curtains, doors with the details of your own door. You could even think of it with a garden, fence and even an owner if you wish (chinese owner of course). Each part of the scene you have created will help to remember the word. Now, there is one more thing you have to put into your memory, with regards to the letter á. You will notice the line going up at an angle. That means the word starts with a low tone, and then as you say the word, you raise the tone of the word to a higher pitch. Chinese is a 5 tone language. Without the tone, you would seem to speak nonsense.

We have to think of a way to represent the tone so that we remember that as well as the spelling. The choice would be yours, and you should try to think of something that you would always remember. For me, I would imagine an escalator. Just place that in the scene pointing in the same direction as the tone above the á. The escalator would only be used for rising tone, otherwise it would be easy to confuse yourself in other images.




This image shows the idea, but it doesn`t show the complexity that the mind can create. An image can take a moment to think about and create in your mind, with all the detail you can imagine yourself.

My whole tone system is as follows shown using the letter a.

a (neutral tone) nothing added to the scene
ā (high tone) a set of scales balanced but wobbling. That helps to remember them.
à (high to low) a childs slide, with me sliding down it!
ǎ (high to low and back to high) a giant bowl that has special meaning to me. Very decorative, and easy to remember. A plain bowl wouldn`t work very well.
á (low to high) an escalator. It can be as big as you want, and contain as many people as you wish. Try to think of beautiful girls, handsome guys. Anything that helps.

The tones are the same for the other vowels, so we don`t need to remember any other tone objects.

With practise, you can imagine pictures quicker, and recall them quicker.

All the images should be vivid. Bright colours, noises, textures, temperatures, and even emotions. Everything you include that has a strong influence, will make for more memorable images.

I hope these tips have been useful. Use whatever methods you think best, but don`t be afraid to experiment with different techniques. Learning should be fun, not a chore. Test your new knowledge as often as possible, and chat with people in forums or through instant messenger to help with the grammar and to reinforce your new found knowledge. Good luck!