by Tansel Ali
• ‘Mrs Morrow stimulated the soup.’ (Meaning: she stirred it up.)
• ‘Our family erodes a lot.’ (Meaning: they eat out.)
• ‘Me and my parents correlate, because without them I wouldn’t be here.’
• ‘I was meticulous about falling off the cliff.’
• ‘I relegated my pen pal’s letter to her house.’
If we really want to be able to understand and appraise information that comes our way we cannot be content just to look it up on Google.
Even something like ability in chess, often considered a game of pure reasoning and abstract strategy, depends crucially on memory. Herbert Simon, whose research in this area won him a Nobel Prize, demonstrated in a series of experiments that chess ability relied not on Iq or raw mental processing power but on that player’s memory bank of typical chess positions and sequences.
In these experiments, players of various levels were shown different configurations of boards from high-level chess games. The participants were then asked to reconstruct the boards from memory. The results were astonishing. Chess experts were able to recall the configurations of the chess pieces almost perfectly. Novice players could only recall about a third of the pieces. The reason for this is that the expert chess players saw the board in a completely different way. Their vast memories of previous chess games meant that the configurations of all pieces had meaning. The superior memory ability of the chess experts was not just a by-product of expertise, it was the essence of their expertise.
For expert players, the source of their skill is what they can remember about a game and the way that those memories influence how they perceive the board in front of them. Similar results have been found across a range of different disciplines.
This should come as no surprise. No creative idea that has changed the way we view the world has been invented in a vacuum of knowledge: Nobel Prize winners developed their insights only after years spent accumulating knowledge. If their memories of their disciplines were lost to them, say through amnesia, so too would be their creative capacities and information literacy skills.
If expert skill, and the creativity it entails, lies in the accumulation of vast stores of knowledge then anything that is going to increase our capacity to form memories and the speed with which we do it should be treasured. This is true even for those of us without aspirations to become world-class experts. All of our mundane, everyday projects depend crucially on memory. Imagine, for instance, being able to absorb foreign language vocabulary like a sponge, internalising the words needed to speak a new language in weeks rather than years.
Real-life examples of high-speed learning exist. Every year, athletes gather from all over the world to compete in the World Memory championships and, every year, they demonstrate startling learning abilities. One competitor at the first World Memory championships, Bruce Balmer, taught himself 2000 foreign words in a single day. Another competitor from the 1999 World Memory championships famously taught himself Icelandic in only one week and then went on a talk show in that language. The most remarkable thing about these individuals, however, is that there is nothing special about them at all. Rather, they all employ a small set of simple techniques, known collectively as the Art of Memory.
The techniques of the Art of Memory originated in Ancient Greece. They were almost universally practised by the thinkers of the ancient world who believed that mnemonic training was essential to the cultivation of one’s memory, focus and creativity. creativity was an act of synthesis that could only occur within the mental playground of a trained mnemonist. Appropriately, in Greek mythology, Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, was the mother of the muses, the goddesses of creativity.
These techniques formed the cornerstone of western education and were employed and advocated by thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, Petrarch, Giordano Bruno, Francis Bacon, Gottfried Leibniz and René Descartes. For most of the history of education, the view of memorisation was one entirely alien to those of us concerned with so-called twenty-first century learning skills. The deepest dispute in modern educational debate is based on a mistake: If we really want to promote the abilities of critical reasoning and creativity then we would do well to recognise that the right place for the art of memory is not in memory competitions or in history books but in our classrooms and workplaces.
Stop timer! 1038 words
Divide 1038 by the time it took you to read: e.g. 1038 ÷ 5 minutes = 207 WPM.
Languages
Memorise how to say ‘hello’ to others in other languages.
Amharic (Ethiopia) tadiyass (informal) tena yste’lle’gn (formal).
Arabic marhaban.
Armenian barev (hello).
Australian Aboriginal languages
Adnyamathanha (South Australia) nhangka, nhangka warntu? (how are you?)
Kalaw Lagaw Ya (Torres Strait) yawa, ngi midh? (how are you?)
Pitjantjatjara (Central Australia) wai, wai palya? (how are you?)
Wiradhuri (New South Wales) yiradhu marang, yamandhu marang? (how are you?)
Bengali (India) namaskar (hello).
Bulgarian zdra veite (pron. zdrah veytej)
Chinese Cantonese: nei ho or lei ho (pron. ne ho or lay ho); Mandarin: nǐ hǎo (pron. nee how). Tone is very important.
Croatian bok (informal), dobro jutro (morning), dobar dan (day), dobra večer (evening), laku noć (night).
Czech dobrý den (formal), ahoj (informal; pron. ahoy).
Danish hej (informal; pron. hi), goddag (formal).
Dhivehi (Maldives) kihineth.
Dutch hoi (very informal), goedendag (formal).
Dzongkha (Bhutan) kuzu-zangpo.
Estonian tere päevast (good day).
Fijian bula uro (informal), bula vinaka (formal).
Finnish moi, tervé or hei (informal); mitä kuuluu? (how are you?)
French allo, bonjour (formal); bonsoir (good evening).
Gaelic dia duit (informal, literally God be with you).
Georgian gamardjoba (pron. gah-mahr-joh-bah).
German: traditional hallo (informal), guten tag (formal, pron. gootan taag), tag (very informal).
German: Austrian and Bavarian grüß Gott (pron. gruess got), servus (informal, pron. zair-voos).
Greek yassou (informal, pron. yah-soo), yassas (plural, formal, yah-sas), kalimera (good morning), kalispera (good afternoon, pron. kalee-spe-rah).
Gujarati (India) namaste, namaskar, kemcho.
Hawaiian aloha.
Hebrew shalom (hello, goodbye, peace), ma korae? (informal, what’s happening?)
Hindi namaste.
Indonesian halo (hello), selamat pagi (morning), selamat siang (afternoon), selamat malam (evening).
Italian buon giorno (morning, pron. bwohn geeornoh), buon pomeriggio (afternoon, pron. bwohn poh-mehreejee-oh), buona sera (evening, pron. bwohna sehrah).
Japanese ohio (informal), ohio gozaimasu (morning, pron. o-hi-yo go-zai-mass), konichi ha (afternoon, pron. kon-neechee-wa), konbanha (evening, pron. kon-ban-wa).
Konkani (Goa, India) namaskar, namaskaru (formal); dev baro dis div (informal).
Korean eotteoke jinaesimnikka? (How are you?)
Latin salve (sing., pron. sal-way), salvete (pl., pron. sal-waytay), ave (sing., formal, pron. ar-way), avete (plural, formal, pron. ar-way-tay).
Maltese merħba (welcome), bonġu (good morning), bonswa or il-lejl it-tajjeb (good evening).
Maori kia ora (hi), tena koe, morena (good morning).
Marwari (India) khammaghani, ram ram sa.
Persian (Farsi) salaam, do-rood.
Pig Latin eyhay (informal), ellohay (formal).
Polish cześć (hi, pron. cheshch), dzień dobry (g
ood morning, pron. jeyn dob-ry).
Portugese oi, boas, olá, bom dia, bons dias (good morning, good day); boa noite, boas noites (good evening, good night).
Punjabi (India, Pakistan) sat sri akal.
Romanian salut, buna dimineata (formal, morning), buna ziua (formal, daytime), buna seara (formal, evening); buna (pron. boo-nah).
Russian Privet! (informal, pron. pree-vyet), zdravstvuyte (formal, pron. zdra-stvooy-tyeh).
Samoan malo (informal), talofa (formal).
Spanish hola (pron. o-la), buenos días (good morning), buenas tardes (good afternoon), buenas noches (good night).
Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya) habari.
Urdu adaab, salam (informal), salam alei kum (formal).
Memorise more Chinese phrases.
Pinyin English
Bāng wǒ yíxià. Give me a hand.
Yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu. Go right ahead.
Lǚtú yúkuài. Have a good trip.
Zhù nǐ yì tiān guò de yúkuài. Have a nice day.
Zài lái yígè. Have another one.
Nǐ zuò wán le ma? Have you finished?
Tā méi kòng. He doesn’t have time.
Tā xiànzài yǐjīng zài lù shàng le. He is on his way.
Nǐ hǎo ma? How are you doing?
Nǐ yào dāi duōjiǔ? How long are you staying?
Duōshǎo qián? How much?
Wǒ duì tā zháomí le. I am crazy about her.
Wǒ zài làngfèi shíjiān. I am wasting my time.
Wǒ néng zuò. I can do it.
Wǒ jiǎnzhí bùnéng xiāngxìn. I can’t believe it.
Wǒ bù néng zài děng le. I can’t wait.
Wǒ méi shíjiān le. I don’t have time.
Wǒ yī gè rén dōu bú rènshi. I don’t know anybody.
Wǒ bù xǐhuan. I don’t like it.
Wǒ rènwéi búshì. I don’t think so.
Wǒ gǎnjué hǎo duō le. I feel much better.
Wǒ zhǎo dào le. I found it.
Wǒ tǎoyàn nǐ! I hate you!
Wǒ xīwàng rúcǐ. I hope so.
Wǒ zǎo zhīdào le. I knew it.
Wǒ ài nǐ. I love you.
Wǒ zhùyì dào le. I noticed that.
Wǒ míngbái le. I see.
Wǒ rènwéi shì zhèyàng de. I think so.
Wǒ xiǎng gēn tā shuō huà. I want to speak with him.
Wǒ yíng le. I won.
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi kāfēi. I would like a cup of coffee, please.
Wǒ è sǐ le. I’m hungry.
Wǒ yào zǒu le. I’m leaving.
Duì bu qǐ. I’m sorry.
Wǒ xíguàn le. I’m used to it.
Wǒ huì xiǎngniàn nǐ de. I’ll miss you.
Wǒ shìshì kàn. I’ll try.
Wǒ hěn wúliáo. I’m bored.
Wǒ hěn máng. I’m busy.
Wǒ wán de hěn kāixīn. I’m having fun.
Wǒ zhǔnbèi hǎo le. I’m ready.
Wǒ míngbái le. I’ve got it.
Zhēnshì nányǐ zhìxìn! It’s incredible!
Hěn yuǎn ma? Is it far?
Méiguānxi. It doesn’t matter.
Wén qǐlái hěn xiāng. It smells good.
Shì shíhou le. It’s about time.
Méi shìr. It’s all right.
Hěn jiǎndān. It’s easy.
Hěn hǎo. It’s good.
Lí zhè hěn jìn. It’s near here.
Méi shénme. It’s nothing.
Gāi zǒu le. It’s time to go.
Nà shì bùtóng de. It’s different.
Hěn yǒuqù. (very informal) It’s funny.
Nà shì bù kěnéng de. It’s impossible.
Hái xíng. It’s not bad.
Bù nán. It’s not difficult.
Bù zhí dé. It’s not worth it.
Hěn míngxiǎn. It’s obvious.
Háishì yíyàng de. It’s the same thing.
Lún dào nǐ le. It’s your turn.
Wǒ yě yíyàng. Me too.
Hái méiyǒu. Not yet.
Fàngsōng! Relax!
Míngtiān jiàn. See you tomorrow.
Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyǒu. She is my best friend.
Tā zhēn cōngmíng. She is so smart.
Màn diǎnr! Slow down!
Gàosu wǒ. Tell me.
Duō xiè. Thank you very much.
Zhè yàng de shìqíng jīngcháng fāshēng. That happens.
Gòu le. That’s enough.
Hěn yǒuqù. That’s interesting.
Duì le. That’s right.
Zhè shì zhēn de. That’s true.
Zhèlǐ rén hěnduō. There are too many people here.
Tāmen hùxiāng qīngmù. They like each other.
Kǎolǜ yí xià. Think about it.
Tài zāogāo la! Too bad!
Děng děng wǒ. Wait for me.
Nǐ shuō shénme? What did you say?
Nǐ rènwéi zěnyàng? What do you think?
Tā zài shuō xiē shénme? What is he talking about?
Duō huài de tiānqì! What terrible weather!
Zěnme la? What’s going on/ happening / the problem?
Jīntiān jǐ hào? What’s the date today?
Nǐ qù nǎ lǐ? Where are you going?
Tā zài nǎ lǐ? Where is he?
Nǐ tài xìngjí le. You are impatient.
Nǐ kàn shàngqù hěn lèi. You look tired.
Nǐ ràng wǒ dà chī yì jīng. You surprise me.
Nǐ fēngle. You’re crazy.
Bié kèqi. You’re welcome.
Nǐ zǒng shì duì de. You’re always right.
Nǐ de xīnqíng bù hǎo. You’re in a bad mood.
Nǐ zài sāhuǎng. You’re lying.
Nǐ cuòle. You’re wrong.
Wasài! Wow!
Memorise more French phrases.
French English
Comment allez-vous? How are you?
Tout à coup. All of a sudden.
Tu m’étonnes. Tell me something I don’t know.
Quand on parle du loup. Speak of the devil.
Je n’ai pas les moyens. I can’t afford it.
Tu te rends compte? Can you imagine?
Je n’en veux pas. I don’t want it.
Vous essayez de m’avoir. You’re cheating me.
Je ne suis pas intéressé. I’m not interested.
D’accord, je la prends. OK, I’ll take it.
Revenons à nos moutons Let’s get back to the subject at hand.
Pourrais-je avoir un sac? Can I have a bag?
Je n’ai fait rien de mal. I haven’t done anything wrong.
C’est une erreur. It is a misunderstanding.
Où m’emmenez-vous? Where are you taking me?
Tu m’as tellement manqué! I missed you so much.
À plus tard. See you later.
Vous êtes très gentil. You’re very kind.
Il faut que je parte. I have to go.
Je reviens tout de suite. I will be right back.
Je n’en sais rien. I have no idea.
J’arrive! I’m on my way!
Qu’est-ce que c’est? What is this?
Que faites-vous dans la vie What do you do for a living?
Allez! Oh, c’mon!
J’ai faim. I’m hungry.
J’ai le cafard. I’m feeling down.
Tu t’en sors? You managing OK?
Je n’en crois pas mes yeux. I can’t believe my eyes.
J’en mettrais ma main au feu! I’d bet my life on it.
Allez savoir pourquoi. Your guess is as good as mine.
Ça vous dit? Are you up for it?
Ça te changera les idées. It’ll take your mind off things.
N’importe quoi! That’s nonsense!
Ca vous plaît? Do you like it?
J’espère que c’est vrai. I hope that is true.
Quelle heure est-il? What time is it?
Que’est ce qui ne va pas? What is wrong?
Ce n’est pas ma faute. It’s not my fault.
Ça ne fait rien. Never mind, it doesn’t matter.
Ce n’est past terrible. It’s not that great.
Je suis perdu. I’m lost.
Sans blague. Seriously, all kidding aside.
Aidez-moi, s’il vous plaît. Please help me.
Tiens! Here you go! (when giving something)
Vraiment! Really!
Regarde! Look!
Dépêche-toi! Hurry up!
Je vais vous aider. I am going to help.
Vous pouvez marcher? Can you walk?
Vous pouvez manger tout seul? Can you feed yourself?
J’ai mal! It hurts!
C’est dangereux. It’s dangerous.
Faites attention! Take care!
C’est froid. It’s cold.
C’est chaud. It’s hot.
N’allez pas par là! Don’t go this way!
Arrêtez! Stop that!
Laissez-moi tranquille! Give me a break! / Leave me alone!
Je ne l’ai pas fait intentionnellement. I didn’t do it on purpose.
Ce n’est pas ma faute. This is not my fault.
Faites-le vous-même. Do it yourself.
Tu es completement débile. You’re a complete moron.
Quelle nourriture aimes-tu? What food do you like?
Où suis-je? Where am I?
Avez-vous de la monnaie, s’il vous plaît? Do you have change, please?
Quelle est la date aujourd’hui? / Quel jour c’est? What’s the date today?
De quel pays tu viens? What country are you from?
Nous ne parlons pas chinois. We can’t speak Chinese.
Je suis étudiant. I am a student.
C’est dans quelle rue? In which street is it?
Je parle anglais. I speak English.
C’est la vie! That’s life!
Bon voyage! Have a good trip!
Vous avez un plan? Do you have a map?
Tu fais quoi? What are you doing?
Tu pars quand? When are you leaving?
Comment tu t’appelles? What is your name?
Quel âge as-tu? (formal) Tu as quel âge? (informal) How old are you?
Je voudrais l’addition, s’il vous plait. I would like the bill, please.
