Vocabulary+Tips+and+Strategies

Unless you know another language that is a close relative of Arabic, most of the vocabulary of Arabic will probably not sound familiar to you at first. You will need to spend time in and out of class developing your vocabulary. Below are some strategies for memorizing your vocabulary sets. You may need to try several different techniques before you find the ones that work for you.
 * Vocabulary Tips and Strategies for Arabic Learners **

• **Use the words.** Your goal in learning vocabulary is to be able to use it, right? The purpose of studying a new language is NOT to be able to recognize vocabulary words on a page. That won’t help you when you’re actually interacting with an Arabic speaker! Instead, use the words in phrases and sentences to describe what you see around you. • ** Listen to the words. ** You want to be able to recognize words you know when you hear them in conversation. This doesn’t just happen by studying the words on a page. “Tune” your ears to the sounds of Arabic by listening to your vocabulary sets regularly. • ** Memorize words in “chunks.” ** Your brain organizes things in groups. When you learn new words, try to organize them around basic concepts or webs. Re-organize your notes in a way that you can relate the words easily to each other. • ** Use mnemonic devices. ** Associate an Arabic word with a word or words in English. For example • **Use the new words in real life.** Talk to Arabic speakers in your school. Locate Arab culture centers, organizations, restaurants, etc in your town, and make some friends. Go home and teach your family what something is called in Arabic. Teach a friend 3 new Arabic words a day. Look for things around you that you have studied in a vocabulary set and say the words aloud as you see them. • ** Be creative and have fun with the language. ** Draw a silly image that will remind you of a word, act out words and phrases, handle and manipulate objects as you learn the words for them or make up songs or rhymes to help you associate groups of words. • ** Quiz yourself and your classmates. ** To be sure the words will stick in your memory, test yourself at regular intervals. Study some new words in the morning, and then check to see if you can still remember them in a few hours, later that day, the next day, and a week later. If you find some words are not sticking, try using different techniques from this list to work on those words. • ** Create a mental image of the word. ** For example, if you were trying to remember the word “dolt” in English, you could have a mental image of Homer Simpson in your mind. When he says “doh” he is often being a dolt (dumb, lamebrain). Making connections between new information and an image you already have of something will help you remember and recall the new information. • ** Write it out. ** This is useful for all learners, and is especially importantif you are learning on your own from an online source. Many people who work with online materials often forget that one way to remember something is to use a pencil and paper and write it down. Be sure to spend a few minutes each day writing out your words and phrases. Try saying each word aloud as you write it. Try writing sentences using the new words. • ** Make flash cards. ** The simple act of writing the words out can help to make the vocabulary stick. Just keep in mind that you don’t only want to be able to translate the words—you want to be able to use them. Flash cards are helpful, but aren’t enough on their own. • ** Use an SRS (Spaced Repetition System). ** This is "flashcard software", that quizzes you on vocabulary sets you create. The program is based on studies that show that spaced repetition increases retention of material. The most popular online SRS these days is Anki - which is free of charge. It is simple to use, and may be effective for you. • ** Focus on what you can say, rather than looking up new words from outside of class. ** Looking up a bunch of new words distracts you from the words that you are learning in your course. Use the words you are learning creatively to get your point across. This not only helps the words to stick, but also is a great way to train your brain to use **circumlocution**--to speak around topics and vocabulary you don’t have specific terms for.
 * Find “link words” (words that have the same or similar pronunciation in English as they do in Arabic) and create an amusing or unforgettable image in your mind that links the words to each other. For example, if you wanted to learn that the Arabic word maktaba means library, you might think of a Mac computer on a table in your local library. Or to remember the Arabic word bunnii for brown you could think of a brown bunny in your back yard.
 * Some mnemonics are more simple. The Arabic word for meat is لَحْم (laHm). Picture someone eating lamb meat, and clearing their throat (a-Hem!) at the table.