Mnemonic games |
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Memory Techniques for Foreign Languages - by Richard RubinMemory systems work beautifully for learning foreign languages. I used them in high school and college to study 5 languages -- Latin, classical Greek, Spanish, French, and German. My peers were amazed that I aced every vocabulary test and learned new languages so quickly. What I didn?t tell them then was that I was simply utilizing my trained memory. In this article I?ll elaborate on some approaches I used for learning every foreign language I studied. More specifically, I?ll explain how to recall foreign vocabulary, leaving syntax and pronunciation for further discussion.The key to learning foreign vocabulary is simple: find English words that sound like the foreign words you?re trying to learn. These English terms must *denote solid objects that are easy to visualize*. For example, how do you picture the word ?love?? You need to concretize that abstraction before you can see it in your mind. Envisioning a human heart is one possibility (the one I would choose, in fact). Or you could picture a tennis racket. But seeing the letters ?L-O-V-E? will probably not result in good recall. As mentioned, we look for English words that sound like the foreign terms we wish to memorize. Here are some examples from different languages: Foreign Term Definition Sounds Like: laufen to run laughin? Spiel game peel rouge red rude rex king wrecks amo I love I mow hablar to speak hop bar Notice that the English words and phrases I?ve chosen in column 3 do indeed sound at least a little like the foreign words in column 1. Also note that this technique works best if you choose your own sound-alikes. Mine and the associations described below will not necessarily work as well as the sound-alikes and associations you devise for yourself. Now that we have sound alike words and phrases, we must associate them with the definitions of the foreign words (column 2). For example, to connect ?laughin?? with ?to run,? I could envision myself running while I?m laughing so hard that I can barely stand up. Mental pictures that are absurd and bizarre are the easiest to remember. Further, the pictures should be visualized in your mind, not merely verbalized aloud. We tend to remember better what we see rather than what we only hear. Another example involves the word ?rouge,? which in French means ?red.? This word sounds enough like ?rude? to me in English for me to choose ?rude? as my sound alike word. Now I must associate my sound alike with the definition of the foreign term (here, ?rouge?). I might imagine myself turning bright red as someone is ridiculously rude to me. Or I could see someone else turning red as I make rude remarks to him. Seeing that absurd picture in my mind will lock in the association. The more vivid, hilarious, and crazy the images are in your mind, the more easily you will recall the information. To remember that ?amo? means ?I love? in Latin, I decided that ?I mow? sounds like ?amo.? So I would picture myself mowing my lawn. While I?m doing so, I?m saying to myself, ?I mow!? Then I see the lawnmower run over a giant human heart in the middle of my yard. The heart symbolizes love, which is the definition of the foreign term. Natural memory tells you that ?amo? means ?I love,? not just ?love.? This system for memorizing foreign vocabulary works extremely well; you?ll experience fantastic results if you visualize the wacky pictures in your mind. Learning becomes more fun that way, too! Just don?t tell others about the mental pictures you make. They may think you?re insane as well as brilliant. Richard Rubin is a memory expert and certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner. He gives keynote speeches and seminars and can be found at http://www.MindPowerStrategies.com. Panic Attacks: Effective Ways to Cope - By Michael G. Rayel, MDJill is a 21 y/o college student who used to do well until about a few months ago when she started to experience ?weird? attacks almost daily. She described her experience as ?horrible.? When she has the attack, she feels that she?s about to die or develop a stroke.One day while she was in a mall, she suddenly developed an ?overwhelming? sensation all over her body. She was sweaty and tremulous and felt that her heart was pumping so fast. Within a few seconds, she also suffered from chest pain and shortness of breath. This episode lasted for about 10 minutes but she felt that this was her worst ten minutes of her life. Overwhelmed by her experience, she has stayed away from malls and has avoided being in a crowd of people. Because of the frequency of the attacks, Jill can?t anymore function normally. She is afraid to leave the house and go to work. Jill?s experience is typical of someone with Panic Disorder. A person with panic disorder develops anxiety attacks associated with the thought that he or she would die or develop a stroke or heart attack. Physical changes such as fast heart beat, shortness of breath, fainting episodes, sweating and tremulousness are some of the accompanying symptoms. A typical episode usually comes ?out of the blue? and not precipitated by any triggers. It can therefore happen any time and anywhere. An attack can last for a few to several minutes. One episode can make a person feel scared of having another one. In fact, a lot of people feel distressed anticipating the occurrence of another attack. So most individuals prefer to stay at home and isolate themselves from friends, co-workers, and even relatives. Eventually they become incapacitated. If you?re like Jill, is there any treatment that can help? Yes, there is. Individuals with this condition are successfully treated with an antidepressant such as the serotonin-reuptake inhibitors. Usually, the dose should be started low, for instance 10 mg/day of citalopram. After a few weeks, the dose should be gradually increased depending upon the person?s clinical status. Cognitive behavior therapy is likewise very effective. This type of ?talk psychotherapy? helps the individual to restructure his or her thinking. Negative cognition associated with the illness should be addressed in therapy because it creates more harm than good. Relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises should also help. During treatment, patience is very important because it takes a while before any intervention helps. However, don?t despair. After a few weeks, the medication should start working and should give you a feeling of comfort. What?s the role of benzodiazepines (e.g. lorazepam or clonazepam) in the treatment of panic disorder? This type of drug can provide acute relief but should be used only on a short-term basis because of its addiction potential. For long-term treatment, antidepressants and psychotherapy are still preferable. Copyright ? 2005. Dr. Michael G. Rayel ? author (First Aid to Mental Illness?Finalist, Reader?s Preference Choice Award 2002) psychiatrist, and inventor of Oikos Game: An Emotional Intelligence or EQ Game. For more information, please visit www.oikosgame.com and www.soardime.com Project index
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