Linkword- Getting The Most From The Linkword Language Learning Technique


by Jon Lewis - Date: 2007-04-30 - Word Count: 381 Share This!

Linking a word in English to a word in a foreign language is a quick and efficient way to acquire a large vocabulary in a short time, and will give you lots of confidence to speak your new language.

Here are some tips on how to get the most from the linkword technique:

1. Use linkwords that work for you. If your coursebook suggests an association but you just don't get it, drop it and find one that works for you. Remember, the linkword system is to help YOU remember, not anyone else, so if you can think of something relevant to your life and experiences, it will work better than the author's suggestion. Using people and places you know are more interesting and therefore more likely to be retained.o be retained.

2. Make the link as vivid as possible. Just because a foreign word sounds like an English one, that doesn't necessarily mean that you will be able to recall it when you need to you (even in our own language words sometimes fail us). But if you can form a visual link that is crazy, hilarious, vulgar or erotic, your chances of remembering it are much better.

3. Use linkwords to create whole phrases or sentences. Single words are great for a start, but eventually you will want to string words together to make sentences. On occasions you will find that a whole sentence sounds like something in English. If you can't think of a linkword for a particular word, try adding other words to it and see if that sounds like anything familiar.

4. Group related words together. Random lists of words never helped anyone. If you are learning vocabulary the linkword way, then it's better to memorise your words in topics, like restaurant, travelling, meetings, etc.

5. Work on your accent. One of the risks of the linkword method is that you will feel that because your new language looks just like words you already know in English, then you can say the English words and be understood. If your book has a cassette or CD, make sure you use it to practice saying your linkwords with a relatively decent accent. Your goal is not to speak exactly like a native, but to make yourself understood by native speakers of your target language.


Related Tags: memory, spanish, chinese, french, language learning, linkword, gruneberg, instant recall, buzan

Jonathan Lewis has lived and worked in the south of France for four years. As a language teacher, he offers invaluable advice to anyone wishing to learn a new language. Visit his site on learning languages and on his blog, learning English

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