Tips on learning new vocab?

Question

Hi, How do you learn new words in a foreign language? Do you do something unusual to memorise them? How long after first view of new vords should i study them again? And how often should i recall them so that they stay in my long term memory? I live in a dorm and i dont have PC there, so buyng flashcard programs would have no sense.

Answer 1

You don't need a flash card program, but create your own flashcards for words that will be important. It is probably best to use short phrases that show usage rather than just a word. 3 x 5 index cards can be cut in fourths for more portable flashcards. I like the smaller cards because you can put a rubber band around them and tuck them into your pocket, and review them at random moments (waiting in line for your food, you got to class early and have 2 minutes before the prof will start talking, you're waiting for the program to load on the PC in the dorm lab, etc.)

Study the words daily. Make three piles:
Pile A; I know these words instantly
Pile B I had to think to figure out this word
Pile C: I don't know this word.

Start with pile C and sort those words into A, B, C. Continue with your new C pile until all the words are in A and B. Than go through the B pile. Some words will go back into C. Start over with the C pile, then the B pile until finally all the words are in A. Then go through A one more time. After a few days, retire the words that are firmly in A, but run through them again about once a week, at least until the end of your course.

Also, if you are reading in a second language, always use the same dictionary, and use the 'dot method'. When you look up a word, but a dot by it. When the word gets three (or five) dots, you've encountered it enough to make it worth learning--get your flashcards out!
Good luck.
teacher of French and German for 30+ years.

Answer 2

What you can do is choose the words which you think, believe and feel you will use most frequently. Then memorise the meaning. Since those are "necessary words", chances are you will be using them frequently. The idea is....new words will become part of your vocabulary if you use them regularly. Perhaps, memorise at least 3 new words everyday. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Repetition and reading and saying the words aloud, holding in your mind an image feeling of what the word means, not the English word for it.

It helps if you know the English root words, which are usually Latin and Anglo--Saxon. You can look for similarities in the foreign word.

Example, in English, we have the word "cat". In French, it is "chatze", in German "katze", in Spanish, "gato". So each language is similar, but slightly varied.

This above works for European languages, but not for Asian or African or Middle--eastern languages, anyway.