Rhythm and Memory
Recently I’ve been experimenting with using rhymes to memorise vocabulary. To learn things like days of the weeks, months, numbers, etc, I find that repeating them rhythmically, usually in twos or threes is quite a effective way to memorise them. I also try to make up little rhymes and stories using the words to put them in context. As I say the words, I also visualise what they represent and label my mental pictures with the words.
When learning the words of songs, I learn the words in conjunction with the tune. As a result, the words and tune become strongly linked in my mind and I find that I can’t speak the words on their own easily.
Do you similar methods to learn vocabulary?
18 Responses to “Rhythm and Memory”
Harris Engelmann on 10 Apr 2007 at 10:46 pm #
I don’t really use rhymes, but a lot of times I’ll translate songs (or books, or conversations) into Yiddish in my head- It helps a lot with remembering vocabulary.
Chibi on 11 Apr 2007 at 1:42 am #
In German School in 4th grade, my teacher taught us a song to remember the names of the months. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much of it. It was something like:
Januar, Februar, März, April
Die Jahresuhr steht niemals still. (repeat)
Mai, Juni, Juli, August
weckt in uns alle die Lebenslust (repeat)
September, Oktober, November, Dezember
…
And I don’t remember the rest. And there was a tune, too.
David on 11 Apr 2007 at 8:53 am #
In Japanese, my teacher has taught my class a rhyming song to remmeber ‘te’ form and which group to use them in.
We also learnt another song to learn greeting and words to do with school.
When I find them in my workbooks I will post them here!
David on 11 Apr 2007 at 2:10 pm #
て Form Song (In the tune of “Found A Peanut”)
い ち り——–> って
み に び——–> んで
き——–> いて
ぎ——–> いで
————————————————————-
します——–> して
きます——–> きて
いきます——–> いって
David on 11 Apr 2007 at 2:18 pm #
This song is also to do with て Form and has to do with asking people to do something.
1st Verse:
どうぞはいって Please come in
ドアをしめて Shut the door
たってすわって Stand up, sit down
きいてください Listen (please)
2nd Verse:
ノートをひらいて Open notebooks
こくばんをみて Look at the blackboard
よんではいて Read and Write
おぼえてください (Please) Remember
Josh on 11 Apr 2007 at 5:05 pm #
What is the “found a peanut” song?
Ben L. on 11 Apr 2007 at 7:15 pm #
From German, to the tune of the “Blue Danube” waltz, sing the prepositions taking the dative case:
Aus, ausser, bei, mit,
Nach, seit, von zu.
Mnemonics are fun, too. Does anybody know FUDGEBO?
Foreign Language Blog on 11 Apr 2007 at 7:54 pm #
I also used rhythm to learn French. I didn’t us poems but I would listen to tapes, cd’s or dvd’s of people speaking and then would try and imitate their rhythm and cadence.
Polly on 11 Apr 2007 at 7:59 pm #
@Ben L.
OK, I have to ask. What is
?
Nikki on 11 Apr 2007 at 11:42 pm #
Similar to Ben L’s, I’ve heard of: aus bei mit nach, seit von zu, all take the dative, gegenüber too!
Ben L. on 12 Apr 2007 at 5:00 am #
Polly- I had to look this up. These are German prepositions that take only the accusative:
Fuer
Um
Durch
Gegen
Entlang
Bis
Ohne
Polly on 12 Apr 2007 at 3:52 pm #
@Ben L.
Oh. I never heard of these methods when learning German. It was just pure memorization. Naturlich, ich hab’ vergessen allen.
This wouldn’t work too well in Russian, I imagine; too many prepositions have dual purpose using two different cases.
Chibi on 12 Apr 2007 at 10:30 pm #
There are a lot of those in German, too.
Polly on 13 Apr 2007 at 1:48 am #
True, judging by the overlap in Nikki’s and Ben L.’s lists for dative and accusative.
Freestyle Language on 28 Jul 2007 at 1:38 pm #
I am a musician as well as a language lover, and I write songs in languages that I am learning. I use vocabulary from lessons that I have difficulty with as a starting point for finding a theme. From there, once I have composed a song, I get a native speaker (usually over the web) to make sure that my lyrics are OK from their point of view. Then I write a tune, start singing and - once I have the song down - I never forget the vocabulary.
I suggest the same for anyone who plays music.
Samuel on 03 Dec 2007 at 4:33 pm #
I learned the song called Jahresuhr back when I was a youngster at Rammstein. It goes….
Januar, Februar, März, April,
die Jahresuhr steht niemals still.
Januar, Februar, März, April,
weckt in uns allen die Lebenslust.
Samuel on 03 Dec 2007 at 4:39 pm #
and then…
Mai, Juni, Juli, August,
und dann, und dann,
fängt gas Ganze schon wieder von vorne an.
Januar, Februar, März, April,
die Jahresuhr steht niemals still.
Mai, Juni, Juli, August,
weckt in uns allen die Lebenslust.
September, Oktober, November, Dezember,
und dann, und dann
fängt gas Ganze schon wieder von vorne an.
Lyydie on 19 Jan 2008 at 11:24 pm #
I find that it is much easier to memorize using rhythm of a sort. That is how I memorize texts in different languages that I know not one word of.