The BALM of Second Language Acquisition

Mnemonics

The BALM of Second Language Acquisition: Mnemonics
Introduction
What if I told you that one could learn English as a Foreign Language (or any foreign language) in 1/100th the time it normally would take you? Would you believe me? I believe I have found such a way. It is called mnemonics. Whether you are Mongolian wanting to learn English or a foreigner wanting to learn Mongolian, this article may change the way you learn a foreign language forever, and save you time. What used to take 100 minutes, will now take you 1 minute to learn, and make your language teachers elated with your progress.
The Past Paradigm
In the past, it has normally taken a lot of time and effort to learn a language. When people asked me for the best way to learn English, I used to reply, “There are no short-cuts.” In fact, my formula for language learning was: A = T * E, or “ATE”, which stands for: “Acquisition (of the language) equals Time multiplied by Effort.” Effort included learning by rote methods, repeating over and over again, in order to establish new neural pathways and innervate the muscles in the tongue.
A New Paradigm
I have recently discovered that we can speed up the process of learning/acquiring a new language. In order to effectively convey the concept, I have made a formula: BA = L + M, or “BALM”. In the “BALM” formula, “BA” stands for “Better Acquisition”, “L” stands for listening, and “M” stands for Mnemonics. The BALM formula will reduce one’s time in learning new words by a factor of 100.
Please be aware that the BALM formula is not an end-all panacea for language learning. Learning a language is a complex task that requires many kinds of input and practice. The postulate behind the BALM formula is that language is basically composed of words (lexis). It is aligned to the Lexis-based approach of language acquisition.
Mnemonics vs. Mneumonic Device
Mnemonics is not a new science, actually. Mnemonics is the science of memory and it goes back to ancient Greek times. Furthermore, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the term “mnemonic device” was first used in 1858. It is particularly the “mnemonic device” that this article is about. A mnemonic device is a verbal instrument used to help one remember something. While I am not inventing anything new, my attempt to integrate mnemonics into the acquisition of language may be completely novel.
How Does It Work?
Perhaps the best way to explain is by giving several examples of how mnemonics can be used to learn new lexis. Ever since coming to Mongolia in 2010, my son and I have been attempting to acquire the Mongolian language. I would learn the words first and then teach my son. Take, for instance, the Mongolia word for tree: mod /mud/. My son asked, “Dad, how can I remember that?” I thought for a few seconds and then replied, “Think of mud. Trees grow in the mud.” Since then, he has never forgotten the Mongolian word for tree.
Then, we started to learn the colour words. I taught my son that the Mongolian word for black is khar /har/. Again my son asked me, “How can I remember that?” I replied, “What colour is Mongolian hair?” He answered, “Black.” I continued, “That’s right. Think of ‘hair’. Hair sounds like khar.” Since then, he has never forgotten the Mongolian word for black.
After that, we moved to the Mongolian word for yellow, which is shar. My son asked, “How can I remember that?” I responded, “This time you think of a way to remember shar.” He thought for a minute, then said, “I’ve got it! Shar sounds like shore and the shore is yellow.” I lauded, “Great job, buddy!”
Why does it Work?
Firstly, one must understand how the brain works. The French Cognitive Psychologist Piaget has provided amazing insight into how the brain works in cognitive development, some of which applies directly to language learning. Piaget coined three terms of three different processes used by the brain to learn/acquire new information. They are: accommodation, assimilation, and association. They are part of what Piaget calls his “Schema Theory”.
Firstly, let’s deal with accommodation. Accommodation is how the brain acquires new information that cannot be categorized nor ‘attached’ to existing information. It can ONLY be learned by repetition. Neurologists have taught us that repetition strengthens the connections between neurons in the brain and establishes certain neural pathways, that we call “long-term memory”. Behavioural Psychologists have taught us that it takes 100 times of doing something for it to become a habit. Well, that is what speaking is! It’s a habit. Infants must use the method of accommodation for learning practically everything that they learn, because they are born with relatively no “schema” or memories. Once a child has developed a certain amount of “schema” or memories, the child can then use the process of ‘assimilation’.
Now, let’s deal with assimilation. To put simply, assimilation is the process of categorizing information. Let me explain how assimilation works by anecdote. When a little child is learning his mother tongue, Mum will point to a dog and say, “That’s a dog.” The child firstly accommodates that information by the use of repetition, and it may take up to 100 times hearing the word “dog” before the child is able to remember and say the word from memory. Then, the child sees a cat. He points and says, “Dog!” Mum replies, “No, that’s a cat.” The child’s brain then has to make a new category for cats in his brain. That’s not assimilation. Assimilation assumes that the categories already exist; so, it is more like accommodation. At that point, the child may be a bit confused. Why is one animal called a dog, while another animal is called a cat? So, the next time the child sees a cat of a different colour, he points and looks at mum questioningly, as if to ask, “Mum, is that a cat or a dog?” Mum replies, “That’s a cat.” Assimilation is when the child puts the cat of a different colour into the category of “cats”. Over time, the child learns that cats have certain similar features, and colour is not one of them. Assimilation is a bit easier and faster than accommodation, but it still requires a lot of practice. The child will make mistakes, and mum will correct the child. The child may make hundreds of mistakes, calling pigs, cows and horses “dogs,” or “cats,” until the assimilation process is complete.
Now, let’s deal with association. Association is the process of “attaching” new information to existing information, already categorized and hard-wired into the brain. For example, the child might go to the zoo and see a tiger, saying, “Look, mum, there’s a big cat.” Mum laughs and says, “Yes, that’s a big cat, but we call it a tiger.” The child looks confused and says, “Why?” The mum, being creative and clever, says, “Because it’s like a bunch of cats TI-ed to-G-eth-ER. Get it? “Tied” “together” can be shortened to TI-GER.” Of course that is not true, but it helps the child to associate the new word with existing words in his vocabulary. It is instantly memorized, because the new information can be “attached” to existing neural pathways in the brain. The child does not have to create a new neural pathway, which takes copious and sometimes tedious repetition.
Then, the child sees a lion at the zoo and says, “Look, mum! A tiger!” Mum laughs again and says, “No, that’s a lion.” The child looks confused again, and says, “Why?” The mum, being creative and clever, says, “Because it always LI-es ON the rock. Get it? LI-es ON can be shortened to LI-ON.” The child instantly remembers the new word because it is attached to existing words in the brain.
The technique that Piaget calls ‘association’ is a form of “mnemonics”. It is a memory technique.
Conclusion
Whether you are learning English or any language, you can use the same memory technique. It’s much faster than writing the word and the definition 100 times; and, you are less likely to forget.
So, what does the “M” stand for in my new formula? It stands for mnemonics. The equation again is: BA = L + M, or Better Acquisition (of a language) equals Listening + Mnemonics. It is the balm of language learning.

English Actually Does Have Rules

What are they?

Having been an English teacher for 17 years, I get a lot of questions, like: “Why do you do that in English?” or “Why is it pronounced that way?” Even many native English speakers are clueless about the rules, despite the fact that there are rules. Yes, sometimes there are exceptions to the rules, but most of them come from foreign words that have been “borrowed” from other languages. I won’t be discussing those in this article.
Spelling/Pronunciation Issues
Firstly, one needs to understand that English was not originally a written language. There was no English writing until the Romans conquered England and introduced the Latin alphabet. The Latin language had only 25 letters and 25 sounds, composed of 5 letters for 5 vowel sounds and 21 letters for 21 consonant sounds. The letter ‘y’ was borrowed from the Greek language and was called the “Greek y”. In English, it primarily functions as a consonant at the beginning of words and a vowel in the middle or ending of words.
According to an article entitled, “The Sounds of English and the International Phonetic Alphabet”, on antimoon.com, English has 20 vowel sounds (if you include diphthongs), and 24 consonant sounds, for a total of 44 sounds. Contrast that with the 25 sounds of the Latin language. In my opinion, the logical thing to do would have been to do as the Mongolians have done by adding letters to the adopted Cyrillic alphabet. Instead, the authors of the English written language invented a very, very complex system of rules with combinations of letters. Let us explore some of these rules.
It is important to teach that the Latin alphabet has only five vowels, plus one adopted from the Greeks. They are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes the Greek y. English has 12 single vowel sounds and 8 diphthongs (which are vowel combinations). So, those who were charged with putting Lain letters to English words had a tough job. They decided to give each Latin vowel 2 sounds: a long sound and a short sound. Honestly, it was not necessary to do so, because the long sounds could be spelled by creating dipthongs. For instance, long ‘a’ sound could have been spelled with “ei” or “ey. The long ‘i’ sound could have been spelled with “ai” or “ay”. The long ‘o’ sound could have been spelled with “ou” or “ow”. And, the long ‘u’ sound could have been spelled with “yu” or “yoo”.
The CVC rule & CVC + silent ‘e’ rule
The CVC rule states that Consonant-Vowel-Consonant combinations are pronounced with the short vowel sound. Conversely, the CVC + silent ‘e’ rule states that if you add an e to the Consonant-Vowel-Consonant combination, the vowel sound changes to a long sound. (Again, completely unnecessary and moronic).
Examples
CVC : CVC + e
hat : hate
fed : feed
bit : bite
con : cone
cut : cute
Exceptions
To make matters even more outrageously insane, the silent ‘e’ is added to words where the vowel is protected by a double consonant, for no apparent reason at all. Examples are: battle, kettle, little, bottle, and muddle.
Double Consonant Rule
However, the double consonant rule (to protect the short vowel) is useful (but only because the idiots created the long vowel system to begin with). Examples are demonstrated below:
Single consonant : Double consonant
caning : canning
biter : bitter
hoping : hopping
super : supper
‘E’ is a bit different:
weeding : wedding
Exceptions
elephant, elevator, elegantThe “C” Pronunciation Rule
There is one rule and ONLY one rule that I have NEVER found an exception to. It is the “C” pronunciation rule (and it comes from the Latin language).
SOFT “C” RULE: When c is followed by e, i, or y, the c has the /s/ or occasionally /sh/ sound.
HARD “C” RULE: When c is followed by a, o, or u, the c has the /k/ sound.
Examples:
(with short vowels) /s/ center, city, bicycle; /k/ camel, comic, and cut
(with long vowels) /s/ secede, cite, cycle; /k/ came, coma, and cute.
Exceptions
None.The “G” Pronunciation Rule
Incidentally also from Latin, we have the “g” pronunciation rule, which is similar to the “c” rule. However, there are exceptions to this rule.
SOFT “G” RULE: When g is followed by e, i, or y, the g has the /j/ sound.
HARD “G RULE: When g is followed by a, o, or u, the g has the /g/ sound.
Examples:
(with short vowels) /j/ gel, gin, gypsy; /g/ gag, got, gun
(with long vowels) /j/ gene, giant, gyrate; /g/ game, go, guru
Exceptions to the rule:
margarine, get, give, etc.Grammar
With regards to English grammar, I have only one qualm: native speakers don’t follow the rules. They have made their own rules, called ‘descriptive grammar’, which is basically the way that most people talk, because they are uneducated about the rules. The original rules are called ‘prescriptive grammar’, which is basically the way that people who are educated about the rules talk.
Examples:
Prescriptive (THE RIGHT WAY) / Descriptive (THE WRONG WAY)
(1) It is I. (Subject, verb, subject compliment). / It is me.
(2) I, also (Subject, not object) / me too.
(3) Neither do I. (Subject, not object) / me neither.
(4) She likes Ted and me. (object). / She likes Ted and I.
Explanation:
(1) “It is me,” is incorrect because the subject compliment is another subject.
(2) “Me too,” is usually incorrect because the response is usually in reference to a subject (rather than an object). Example: I like pizza. Correct response: I, also like pizza. (no “me”!).
(3) “Me neither” is usually incorrect for the same reason that #2 is incorrect.
(4) “She likes Ted and I,” is incorrect for the same reason that, “She likes I,” is incorrect. The verb “Like” requires an object, not a subject compliment.

Vocabulary
The problem with vocabulary is that people sometime make up words that don’t exist or use words incorrectly.
By way of example of words commonly used, which don’t exist, people sometimes say, “Irregardless” That’s not a word. “Regardless” is a word. Also, people like to say, “Anyways,” but that’s not a word either. People should say, “Anyway”.
By way of improper usage of words, one of my biggest gripes is the incorrect usage of effective and efficient. Effective is the adjective form of the verb “effect” (to cause to something to happen). Example: “I effected great results by my plan.” If the plan worked, then it is appropriate to say that it was effective. I might have taken a long time, but it worked. On the other hand, efficient comes from the verb “efface” (to eradicate or eliminate). Example: My plan effaced time. If my plan used up less time than another person’s plan, we can say that it was an efficient plan. It might not work as well as another person’s plan, but it saved time. In a nutshell: effective works, and efficient saves time.
Another common mistake is the use of the word decimate. Decimate means to destroy one tenth of something. Obliterate means to completely destroy something.
When it comes to abbreviations, people get confused. “i.e.” means id est (that is). “e.g.” means exempli gratis (for example). “etc” means et cetera (and so on). Other abbreviations should not be used at all without first explaining what they mean.
One funny thing is when people say, “I could care less.” That means you do care. What people usually mean is “I couldn’t care less.” That means you don’t care.
Irony is a word often misused. Some people think it means “strange”. Rather, it means that the result is in fact opposite of what it is supposed to be, or what it is commonly expected to be. E.g., “It is ironic that most young children don’t know why they behaved the way that they did. For them it was mostly impulse.” Most adults know exactly why they do things. Children, on the other hand, don’t adhere to the so-called ‘norm’, because their metacognitive skills are lacking. Therefore, to us adults, it is ironic. Children act the opposite way that is expected by adults. But, to say something like, “Ironically, she gave birth to quadruplets.” That’s not ironic. That’s unusual.
I won’t even go into all the usage problems that non-native English speakers make, because there isn’t room here. If you are an English Second Language learner, I suggest buying a usage book.

Conclusion
In my humble opinion, professional writers ought to adhere to rules of proper spelling, grammar, and vocabulary usage, unless quoting. By the way, quote is a verb, not a noun. Personally, I love to break rules, and I frequently do so when writing; However, the rules I break are more like writing conventions, such as Never use “I” in an article. I think that is a stupid rule. I also, use the word “you” when I’m talking to my audience. However, the rules of spelling, grammar, and vocabulary usage ought to be held sacred, possibly cardinal.