How to... Learn a Foreign Language

Systems Needed:

• Link Method
• Roman Room Mnemonic
  

1. Using Mnemonics to link words

This is a simple extension of the link method. Here you are using images to link a word in your own language with a word in a foreign language.

For example, in learning English/French vocabulary:

• English: rug/carpet – French: tapis – imagine an ornate oriental carpet with a tap as the central design woven in chrome thread
• English: grumpy – French: grognon – a grumpy man groaning with irritation
• English: to tease – French: taquiner – a woman teasing her husband as she takes in the washing.
  

This technique was formalized by Dr. Michael Gruneberg, and is known as the 'LinkWord' technique. He has produced language books (an example is German by Association) in many language pairs to help students acquire the basic vocabulary needed to get by in the language (usually about 1000 words). It is claimed that using this technique this basic vocabulary can be learned in just 10 hours.

2. The Town Language Mnemonic

This is a very elegant, effective mnemonic that fuses a sophisticated variant of the Roman Room system with the system described above.

This depends on the fact that the basic vocabulary of a language relates to everyday things: things that you can usually find in a city, town or village. To use the technique, choose a town that you are very familiar with. Use objects within that place as the cues to recall the images that link to foreign words.

Nouns in the town:

Nouns should be associated to the most relevant locations: for example, the image coding the foreign word for book could be associated with a book on a shelf in the library. You could associate the word for bread with an image of a loaf in a baker's shop. Words for vegetables could be associated with parts of a display outside a greengrocer's. Perhaps there is a farm just outside the town that allows all the animal name associations to be made.

Adjectives in the park:

Adjectives can be associated with a garden or park within the town: words such as green, smelly, bright, small, cold, etc. can be easily related to objects in a park. Perhaps there is a pond there, or a small wood, or perhaps people with different characteristics are walking around.

Verbs in the sports center:

Verbs can most easily be associated with a sports center or playing field. This allows us all the associations of lifting, running, walking, hitting, eating, swimming, driving, etc.

Remembering Genders

In a language where gender is important, a very good method of remembering this is to divide your town into two main zones. In one zone you code information on masculine gender nouns, while in the other zone you code information on feminine nouns. Where the language has a neutral gender, then use three zones. You can separate these areas with busy roads, rivers, etc. To fix the gender of a noun, simply associate its image with a place in the correct part of town. This makes remembering genders easy!

Many Languages, many towns

Another elegant spin-off of the technique comes when learning several languages: normally this can cause confusion. With the town mnemonic, all you need do is choose a different city, town or village for each language to be learned. Ideally this might be in the relevant country. Practically, however, you might just decide to use a local town with the appropriate foreign flavor.

3. The hundred most common words

Tony Buzan, in his book 'Using your Memory', points out that just 100 words comprise 50% of all words used in conversation in a language. Learning this core 100 words gets you a long way towards being able to speak in that language, albeit at a basic level. The 100 basic words used in conversation are shown below:

1. A,an	2. After	3. Again	4. All	5. Almost
6. Also	7. Always	8. And	9. Because	10. Before
11. Big	12. But	13. (I) can	14. (I) come	15. Either/or
16. (I) find	17. First	18. For	19. Friend	20. From
21. (I) go	22. Good	23. Good-bye	24. Happy	25. (I) have
26. He	27. Hello	28. Here	29. How	30. I
31. (I) am	32. If	33. In	34. (I) know	35. Last
36. (I) like	37. Little	38. (I) love	39. (I) make	40. Many
41. One	42. More	43. Most	44. Much	45. My
46. New	47. No	48. Not	49. Now	50. Of
51. Often	52. On	53. One	54. Only	55. Or
56. Other	57. Our	58. Out	59. Over	60. People
61. Place	62. Please	63. Same	64. (I) see	65. She
66. So	67. Some	68. Sometimes	69. Still	70. Such
71. (I) tell	72. Thank you	73. That	74. The	75. Their
76. Them	77. Then	78. There is	79. They	80. Thing
81. (I) think	82. This	83. Time	84. To	85. Under
86. Up	87. Us	88. (I) use	89. Very	90. We
91. What	92. When	93. Where	94. Which	95. Who
96. Why	97. With	98. Yes	99. You	100. Your

(Extract reproduced from Use Your Memory by Tony Buzan with the permission of BBC Worldwide Limited, © Tony Buzan)

Summary

The three approaches to learning foreign languages shown here can be very effective. They help to point out:

• The most important words to learn
• Show how to link words in your own language to words in a foreign language, and
• Show how to structure recall of the language through use of the town mnemonic.
  

You can learn 600 similar skills elsewhere on this site. Click here to see our full toolkit. If you like our approach, you can subscribe to our free newsletter, or become a member for just US$1.

Source: Mindtools

Language Learning: Difficult and easy languages

Language Tree

What language is the hardest to learn? What language is just the easiest? of a language is difficult or easy to learn depends not only on your native language, but also on other factors. They experience Chinese and Japanese are generally considered very difficult, and Arabic, Hungarian, Finnish and Russian are also some ambitious. English and German are harder than they seem, and for non-native Dutch is very difficult. A challenge that is very feasible, is learning Swedish.

Learning second language

The world has about six thousand languages, of which about one hundred have been mapped. Learning a second language depends on the mother tongue. For that reason, it makes little sense to an inclusive, ranking based on difficulty to make. So it is easier for Germans to learn Dutch than for someone from Japan. Somebody from Spain will learns witch much less effort Portuguese then a Chinese. In general, the closer the second-native language is, the easier it will learn. This includes the relationship between the two vocabularies, sound, syntax, culture and other factors. In America they prepared a list with the average time required for reasonable learning a second language. The result was that for English speaking  Arabic (written from right to left), Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean languages  the most difficult are to learn. These languages require at least almost ninety teaching weeks, longer than other languages.

Mother tongue and flair for languages

For learning a foreign language are many factors that determine its success. Of someone picks up another language quickly, is also linked to motivation and circumstances of the language been learned. When a person for professional reasons have to learn a language he learned it generally faster than  when he  learns the language only for using it with holidays. Of course intelligence also plays a role, a "feel " for language or even a talent (the gift for languages), memory and listening skills. Practice makes perfect. The mother language is learned naturally, Those who learn another language, will find that the first five years of human life really determines everything turned out. Later in life language learning requires a great effort. 

More challenging ...

Many people it seems impossible to learn Chinese, probably by the very different system of writing, and very difficult pronunciation. as was consistently found that Japanese who are already accustomed to a similar script, writing Chinese is easier than for speakers of a language using the Roman alphabet. Yet another is a script language is not necessarily difficult, it's just more challenging for those who try to learn. That’s why we see the Greek and Russian (Cyrillic alphabet) very difficult. But also the Hungarian appears to be very problematic. This is mainly because of the complex grammatical structure, while the Hungarians have the same script as we know!

Sense of language

What languages are difficult for English speakers? Chinese and Japanese are  extremely complex, and except for those two also  Finnish. Because of the extraordinary Finnish grammar. What is also very difficult are Thai, Polish, Hebrew, Vietnamese, Icelandic, Slavic languages, Czech, Hungarian, Basque and Romance languages like French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese are seen as average. These languages are known for the same properties, because they are all descended of Latin (the language of the Romans). It is very common for someone who knows one of these languages, without much trouble can continue the learning of other languages.

Why are Japanese and Chinese so hard?

Thousands of symbols

In Chinese, each word representing a symbol, which means you literally have to learn thousands of symbols will you be able to read Chinese. Moreover, the symbols are not phonetic, So you have no idea how they should be pronounced. This in contrast to learning a language that uses our familiar alphabet. Even if you don’t know Spanish, when you read a word you know roughly how it should be pronounced. Look at a Chinese word and you're completely lost. When you don’t know the symbol, you don’t know what it says.

Tone Languages

In Chinese, tones are very important. In the pronunciation of a word, the tone go up or just down. When your pronouncing is wrong you say something completely different. This is very difficult for someone who is not used to a tonal language.

To refer to the same Japanese makes subtle use of different words, depending to who you speak: your brother, a stranger, your boss or the president ...Japanese have a lot pitfalls.

The most difficult languages

The click-clack languages from southern Africa are really beyond our caps. Some of us have heard of Xhosa, but! xoo (the TAA) in Botswana is still a degree worse. This language has five different types of head-clicks, next seventeen several sub-clicks. Much more than  lesson 1 most will not come from our region. Which is maybe better, because speakers of these languages have all developed a tumor on their larynx.

Why English is surprisingly difficult

Particularly through the Internet and the influence of the media, it seems as though English has become the world language, English grammar is very extensive and the vocabulary is huge. The vocabulary of English is greater than that of any other language and consists of more than 500,000 words. So happens that for a single Dutch word there are many English, all with a slight difference in meaning. Because this lack of knowledge of nuances a English speaking  always hear it’s not your native language.

Learn Arabic

 Besides going from right to left writing and the many details, there are many things that makes Arabic difficult. There are male and female verbal forms and sometimes there are no vowels in the alphabet. In addition, characters have a slightly different form depending on the position in the word. In addition, Arabic is written in a flowing line. Individual letters are therefore difficult to distinguish. The Arabic alphabet is seen as more difficult than the Greek or Russian, but less complicated than the Chinese or Japanese. The Arabic grammar differs in many respects from that of most Western languages. The grammar is very extensive and there are many structures and sequences that are a Semitic language characteristics.

Why Learning Chinese is a Smart Business Move

Learn Chinese

Why Learn Chinese? Top 10 Reasons

Like most Westerners, just a few years ago you might not have been thinking very much about China. However, these days China is all over the news. You, like more and more people, may be wondering, “Should I be learning Chinese?” The answer is a resounding "Yes". Or you may wonder “Why learn Chinese?” The following top 10 reasons to learn Chinese explain why learning to speak Chinese is a smart business and career move. 

1. Because the world is changing

You've heard it before. Globalization. Outsourcing. Opening of free trade. The US, while still important, must now share the stage with other countries, primarily China. With China's admittance to the WTO, a large trade balance in its favor, and its booming economy, the need to interact with China is apparent.

2. Because everyone else is doing it

OK, so not everyone else is learning Chinese. But did you know that Chinese is the fastest-growing language studied in the US? Enrollment in college Chinese language courses is at an all-time high. Recently a bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress to provide Chinese language classes even for high school students. Other countries are even more advanced in this regard.

3. To stay competitive

In a few short years, these myriads of workers fresh out of college will be hitting the work force with Chinese speaking skills. By learning Chinese now, you set yourself apart as a proactive person. Not only will you position yourself to compete with the new entrants, you can also take advantage of increased opportunities that arise as trade with China grows.

4. Global supply chains

But your company has its factories in the US, you say. But will it always have? What about the subcomponents or raw materials? Even US-based manufacturing firms are discovering that to maintain competitive cost structures, they often must deal with global supply chains and sourcing. Of course, the largest provider of the subcomponents and raw materials is China.

5. Manufacturing

China has 1.3 billion people, a workforce that is good at labor-intensive jobs, and lower costs. Enough said. But these factories often have foreign management, consultants, accountants, etc. And these factories also have to deal with the other end of the global supply chain. By learning to speak Chinese, you can help provide the links between these factories and American companies.

6. Because the Chinese market is the largest consumer market in the world

It's not just about manufacturing and outsourcing any more. Today, Western companies are looking at the Chinese economy as potentially the most profitable market in the world. According to the Department of Commerce, more than 16,000 American companies sell products in China. The China of today is not the China of yesterday. In China, urban teenagers are seen walking with an MP3 player in one hand and a cell phone in the other, just as in America. The Chinese are hungry for consumer goods -- foreign goods to boot. Western companies need professionals with Chinese speaking skills to build links with Chinese companies, form partnerships with Chinese companies, and market, brand, and sell products to the Chinese.

7. Because your career may depend on it

So we already know that a) outsourcing to China is growing and b) there are already many young professionals in the pipeline learning Chinese. Suppose you are a manager having to make the unfortunate decision about whose job to cut: what are you going to do? Are you going to cut the person with the keys to potentially the most lucrative market in the world, the one who showed foresight and proactivity by going to learn how to speak Chinese to begin with? No, I don't think so. That person is too valuable. Learning Chinese can only help your career and give you more options.

8. Because 1.2 billion people speak Chinese

That's right, 1.2 billion! Talk about having access to a greater social and professional network! Can you think of one other activity that could possibly open up more doors than learning Chinese?

9. Beijing 2008 Olympics

The Turin Olympics just closed. The next day headlines touted China's preparation for 2008. China’s government realizes (as do most of the people in the know) that this is the “coming-of-age party” for China. Beijing 2008 is not only symbolic of China's emergence onto the world stage of economic power but also pragmatic, as it helps Beijing showcase its flourishing economy and to deepen ties with Western companies. By learning Chinese, you can be ready for this historic event and take part in it.

10. Because it’s not as hard as you think

That's right. Learning to speak Chinese is not as hard as you think. Unfortunately, many Chinese schools in China and Chinese learning materials have given students the opposite impression. However, modern technology can aid in the learning process dramatically. Furthermore, most professionals will find that learning to speak Chinese will be enough without learning to write Chinese characters (which is what really takes up the most time). In the modern age, the computer can help you type anyway. At our Chinese school, we follow an approach that focuses only on the most necessary communications and practical applications. The Chinese language has a surprisingly straightforward set of rules regarding speaking and grammar. With the correct approach people can learn to speak Chinese within a short period of time. So by learning Chinese you can take part in an activity that has huge benefits for your career and your résumé but takes less time than getting a second degree or learning other skills.


About Matthew Worley:
This Chinese learning article, “Why Learn Chinese” , and more articles about learning Chinese, study abroad in China, and doing business in China are located at our China articles page here:articles.1monthchinese.com/ Learn Chinese in China with The 1-Month Mandarin™ program at the Chinese Language Institute of Beijing. CLIB is a private, accredited Mandarin Chinese school in Beijing for students interested in learning basic oral Chinese: www.1monthchinese.com