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Provides tips for learning a foreign language--Spanish examples
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Learning Spanish Vocabulary
Gayla S. KeeseeEducation Specialist
Paine College, Augusta, GA Mack Gipson, Jr. Tutorial & Enrichment Center rev. 10/2006
Vocabulary forms the building blocks of
language
FYI
The number of words in a language can be staggering—from 20,000 to more than 100,000 depending on the language. 100 words can be sufficient for
basic conversation. 2,000 are enough for fairly
normal conversation.
Memory/Study Aids
Mnemonic DevicesAcronymsAcrosticsRhymes and songsWord associationsVisual clues
Flashcards
Mnemonic Devices
Acronyms Acrostics Rhymes and songs Method of Loci Word associations—logical or
illogical Visual Clues
Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonic Mnemonic (ni-'man-ik) devices“Tricks” to help you memorize and
recall informationlong lists speeches basic conceptsdefinitions
Tools for rote memorization only
Acronyms
An acronym is an invented combination of letters where each letter is a cue to an idea you need to remember. BRASS is an acronym for how to
shoot a rifle--Breath, Relax, Aim, Sight, Squeeze.
How could you use Acronyms to help you
learn Spanish?
An acrostic is an invented sentence where the first letter of each word is a cue to an idea you need to remember. “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge”
(E, G, B, D, F)—musical notes of the lines of the treble clef staff
“Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” (parenthesis, exponent, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction)—order of operations
Acrostics
How could you use Acrostics to help you
learn Spanish?
Rhymes and Songs
Songs and rhymes help to burn information in your memoryTo this day, many people softly sing their
ABC’s when trying to alphabetize a list. Rhymes often teach basic facts, such as,
“In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”
How could you use Rhymes and Songs to help you
learn Spanish?
Word Associations
First, select a key word in English that sounds like the foreign word.
Next, imagine an image which uses the key word with the English meaning of the foreign word.
Can be illogical or logical
Logical Association
el coche with coach (like a carriage) which was the predecessor to the car.
Imagine your car as a coach, or imagine horses pulling it.
The Spanish word for rice is arroz.[pronounced ARROSS]
Imagine someone shooting ARROWS into a plate of RICE.
Illogical Association The illogical approach might say el coche
sounds like coach (such as a basketball coach)
Try to link coach and car in the most vivid way possible—the crazier, the better.
Remember that el coche is masculine by having a male coach.Imagine the BASKETBALL COACH lifting your CAR above his head, then throwing it
at a basketball hoop or through a wall.
The Spanish word cabina means phone booth. For the English keyword, you might think of “cab in a ... .” You could invent an image of a CAB
trying to fit in a PHONE BOOTH.
The Spanish word for bed is cama.Imagine a CAMEL lying in your BED.
Illogical Associations
How could you use Word Associations to help you
learn Spanish?
Visual Clues
Drawings, pictures, diagramsPhysically create visual elementsUse drawings or pictures of definitions of wordsMake crazy visual associations
Perro
El perro está bajo la mesa. The dog is under the table.
Visual Clues
Charts, diagramsDiagram the different conjugations for a
verb
Hablar
Yo hablo
Tu hablas
Ud./el/ella habla
Nosotros(as) hablamos
Vosotros(as) hablais
Ud./ellos/ellas hablan
FlashcardsPerro
El perro está bajo la mesa. The dog is under the table.
Flashcards—Advantages
Chunks information into smaller categories to aid memoryNouns—persons, places, thingsVerbs—plural/singular or tensesPhrases—common usage
Use of color signals categoriesdifferent colored cardshighlighters
Flashcards—Advantages Use either written or visual
information Easily rearranged and sorted
Do not learn the words in a fixed order.Learn only words need to remember.
Used for different purposes Lists of itemsGrammar rulesQuestions/answers
Flashcards—Advantages
Size and portability easy to carryuse for short, frequent reviewsreview in spare time that is often wasted—
like waiting in line or between classes. Physically moving and
manipulating the cards incorporates tactile learning
Flashcards—Advantages
Writing down the material on cards aids your memory in itself.76 repetitions of information to go
into long term memory
Flashcards
Definition—Picture Two-sidedPicture on front sideWord and sentence on back side
Perro
El perro está bajo la mesa. The dog is under the table.
Flashcards
Learn grammar rules
Flashcards
En la clase Front
Back
la pizarra blackboard
la estudiante
student
la professora
teacher
la puerta door
la ventana window
One Way to Study
1. 4x6 cards are best.2. Once a day, go through your pack of
index cards.3. Sort the cards into two stacks—those
you know and those you do not know.4. Periodically review the entire set of
words to keep them fresh in your mind.
When to Use Flashcards
Study your vocabulary for only 10-15 minutes a dayRiding the busRiding in a carBefore bedWhen you get up in the morningWaiting in line Doing your laundry
General Tips
Attend Class RegularlyBest chance for practice in speaking
and listeningAble to ask questions
Don’t Tune OutParticipate as much as possibleAnswer questions—even silently to see
if they match your classmates’ answers
