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Re: Memorization

Postby SomehowGeekyPolyglot » 2018-12-31, 13:41

emmamillathompson wrote:Memorisation sucks and it is boring, but once you know it, then you know it right?
But Is this what people find to be true?
When you memorize something is it as if carving in stone and it will always be there?
Because of "first things first", maybe we should make it clear what meaning of memorization this is about.

Because there is rote memorization, i.e. simply repeating the very same word/sentence/information over and over, hoping it will stick to one's memory like glue. And there is another type which is memory-zation [sic!] too, but it is about immersion and exposure to a language/any other type of information.

The first approach sometimes yields quicker results. But very often, they are prone to being forgotten any time soon.
And the second one is the approach we all used to learn our native language and many everyday facts (like water quenching thirst and soap cleaning dirt). Anything learned by the second one is much more likely to be Set in Stone inside one's memory.

That said, as human beings, we all do have our shortcomings. Do you consider it difficult to forget that water quenches thirst? I do agree with you. Impossible? Wouldn't say so. Sometimes (because of any intrinsic or extrinsic factors), we would overlook even the most basic facts. The same can also apply to the 101 [i.e. the very basics] of any language, including one's mother's tongue.

There is the saying "use it or lose it". This isn't really a general rule with some exceptions. Because there also are countless examples of people recalling something they haven't been using for many years. But there also are many, many examples of people not recalling something because of not having used it, even if they learned it by the second approach (i.e. the one without any rote memorization).
- Any two-digit no. of lang. learned in rotation
- Botany (EN, DE, ...)

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Re: Memorization

Postby linguoboy » 2018-12-31, 13:57

emmamillathompson wrote:When you memorize something is it as if carving in stone and it will always be there?


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Re: Memorization

Postby Prowler » 2019-01-21, 6:54

I wish it was that simple. Learning a new word in a foreign language and never forgetting it again. Sure, it happens a lot, especially in the early stages, but sadly it often doesn't either. Especially if it's a word that you don't commonly use or run across. And then there's words that, for some reason, I just can't forget or seem to memorise. Maybe the way they're spelled or the way they sound is just appealing or funny to me, and that makes them memorable to me. Or maybe they sound and look boring and thus don't register in my mind.

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