A SHORT
INTRODUCTION TO
MNEMOTECHNIQUE:
AKA Mnemonic Technique / Memory Technique
By:
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Memory Training 4U
Memory Technique 4U
http://www.memorytraining4u.com/
http://www.memorytechnique4u.com/
My name is David Curtis. I'd like to tell you part of the remarkable story which led me to write this paper for you. As a child I, like everyone else, was given several tests to rate my reading comprehension, my intelligence etc. There are two standard reading tests, the easier and the more difficult. The more difficult test reaches the fourth year college reading level with a top score of 16, and on this test I consistently scored 15 1/2 or better.
Without giving out an exact number, my IQ repeatedly measured two to three standard deviations above the norm on supervised Stanford-Binet intelligence tests. Based on comparison with my intelligence quotient (which is supposed to be an indicator of learning ability) on a national level the CEO's of most major corporations (Ford Motor Company etc.) score just one standard deviation above the norm, which is one to two deviations below my own.
In spite of my higher than average test results and reading level, and in spite of my strenuous efforts to over-achieve in school, I was never able to score very well in history no matter how much I focused or how much time I took away from studying my other subjects at which I was able to perform better. The problem history presented was mostly in dealing with dates, although place names and the names of minor historical figures also posed a problem. Comprehending the actual story line was not an issue, nor was comprehending what the history books were saying explaining about what happened. The problem was memorizing the dates (numbers) and people's names. I had the same problem with language due to the heavy memorization load. In these classes I would either barely pass or, in some cases, fail - particularly when I would take time away from one of them to apply it to another memorization based class I was trying hard to achieve a better grade in because I was also in danger of failing.
Meanwhile both my science and my arithmetic scores were always consistently among the best in the class (where in high school I was even given the nickname of "Spock" by fellow classmates), and my hand was almost always up first with the correct answers in class. Unfortunately, since I consistently scored 98% to 100% in all of my math class tests and class work, mathematics homework was one of the "better" classes I gave up so I could dedicate the extra time to memorizing for the failing classes - language and history. It is unfortunate because my instructors did not see that my math class work merited me a high passing grade because I did not hand in homework, and thus, in spite of my abilities my grade level was not helped very much by my class room and test taking ability. The speed, logic and accuracy of my thought processes was much better than average, and the comprehension of what I was reading was among the top in the nation, yet I could not memorize. School counselors told my parents that I was "a bright boy" but said "he's just not applying himself". What a disservice this was to me. Their attitude was that I was lazy. In fact, this "bright boy" was in trouble and desperately needed help which was not available.
My memory hadn't always been that way though... When I was younger, at the age of four, I could look at books and keep the all the pages in my memory like photographs, even before I knew how to read. Years later as I grew older I could recall the information I had seen in those books and use the information in class when I was old enough to go to school. I also remember that I would draw small pictures on my pages to help me remember important facts. I learned years later that this technique called "doodling" is what the most intelligent people do while learning. I remember that I used similar picture drawing techniques to help me with my spelling.
For some reason, however, I recall that my grade school teachers made a great fuss over these pictures and made it quite clear to me that I was not to draw any more images on any of the papers in my notes while learning, and so I stopped, and didn't do it again until I was almost out of high school. That was after I had begun reading over a dozen academic and library and books on memory and techniques to improve it, and those techniques all called into play the important use of pictures. The techniques I learned are mentioned here in this paper. Like anything worthwhile (practicing the piano or learning a difficult skill) I spent a considerable amount of time and effort learning and practicing these techniques. The rewards to me however, have more than paid me back for my efforts.
Had my memory problem been recognized by school authorities, my parents, or by child psychologists testing my intelligence, and had I been given the opportunity to learn these techniques as a child, I am firmly convinced that I would be a major figure in business (or any other field I would have chosen) today.
MEMORY TECHNIQUES changed my life and the way I learn forever. My opportunity to learn these systems came to me at the age of sixteen out of a desperate struggle for an answer. For two years I learned, applied, honed and refined these and a few other techniques I discovered in my search by reading every book in the library that had any information about memory studies and techniques until I was more than confident that my abilities made me better equipped to learn and memorize than those who were once better in these areas than I once was using just the simple SQ3R method (Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review).
Using these much more advanced memory techniques I graduated from CHUBB Technical Institute and InterCert in NYC as a network engineer and have since certified in computer hardware, operating systems, and routers as well.
Thanks to the remarkable memorization techniques I taught myself out of desperation late in high school I am now able to draw a simple (seemingly unrelated to the topic matter) picture while taking complex notes and then - even years later, either look at or recall that picture and remember complex network designs, IP addresses, protocol specifications, and varying other parameters of the technical data I once studied. One simple picture allows me to mentally perform complex subnetting operations using binary numbers - what a change from the kid who couldn't remember his multiplication tables. Years of failing French and Spanish language classes turned into teaching myself how to speak German - total beginner to college level - in just six months, and I have been able to speak, read and write in that language for the past 20 years, and have visited Germany several times to prove it! Now I would like to make the information on memory technique I have available to help you or your children, by tutoring you or someone you love. Or perhaps you would like to have me hold a presentation in front of a group interested in learning.
First however, I'd like to give you a short history of the Major System and one of the most important set of developed tools known as Hooks, Pegs and Links. The following short history and introductory excerpts come from the site "http://soundnumbers.com/" written by Allan Krill over in Trondheim, Norway. The brief biographical information on Winckelmann AKA Wennsshein, Feinaigle and Grey comes from various online encyclopedias.
Johann-Just Winckelmann devised the mnemonic code and introduced
it in a paper signed by him as "Stanislaus Mink von Wennsshein" over 300 years
ago. Winckelmann's code was redesigned by Gregor von Feinaigle, a German monk
from near Konstanz. At lectures in Paris (1807) and London (1811) Feinaigle
demonstrated his brilliant use of the code. Feinaigle had cleverly rearranged
Winckelmann's code to emphasize visual relationships between letters and
numbers, but in doing so, he had lost some of the phonetic strength of the
original (b=p, f=v). Other variations of the code have been tried, but are not
as convenient or useful. The code was then later modified by an Englishman, Dr.
Richard Grey in the early 18th century. Richard Grey, D.D. (1694 - 1771)
published 'Memoria Technica'; or a 'New Method of Artificial Memory' in 1730.
The system he described there differed from the Major System in that it used
both consonants and vowels. In the past hundred years, the code has been kept
alive mainly by lecturers and authors with exceptional memory abilities. They
have impressed audiences and readers with their memory skills, but have not
managed to make the technique well known or widely used. The code seems very
difficult at first glance...
Here Allan Krill writes of how he too found it tiresome until he
discovered a secret - (one which I found out about myself) that entire sentences
can become numbers, and that numbers can be made into easy to remember
sentences. The article that I have written below is not strictly about
memorizing numbers. Numbers are fine, but the true power of this system comes
from being able to link information of any kind together (including numbers) in
an astoundingly powerful and flexible way.
MNEMOTECHNIQUE (pronounced "nemo-technique") refers to advanced
association based memory systems used to enhance retention and augment natural
recall. Historically and most notably these systems were used in ancient
Recall is the key strength of this system. The
difference between recalling and remembering is this: Recall means to be able to
find information in your memory on your own without any hints. Remember means
that you have to be reminded by some external cue, such as is the case in
multiple choice questions. The method I personally use also involves review
periods at points of the natural memory forgetting curve (30 second, 3 minute,
30 minute, 24 hour, 72 hour and 7 day curves) with timed reinforcement as the
key to efficient use of associative learning time. I also create memory loops which link
the last bit of data to the first. I will explain how this is done in greater
detail to anyone who wants to know later.
Whereas photographic memory is best, in lieu of that,
MNEMOTECHNIQUE is far superior to rote memorization. However, I know from
research that people with photographic memories use these systems as well, and
there is a case I once read about while doing private non-accredited research on
the memory while in high school about a man with total natural recall who used
mnemonics to help him do certain feats during stage performances. First I will
explain some of the vocabulary and basic concepts. Then I will explain to you
the phonetic code used to transpose numbers into words and back again, then show
you some advanced “peg” lists (one alphabetic and one numeric) and a “peg” grid.
Fourth I will give you some concrete examples of how these
work.
Acronyms are created to help recall by taking the first letter of each word in a sentence and creating another word. NASA for instance (National Aeronautic and Space Administration), MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) etc. You can readily make up your own to help you learn and remember many useful things.
Alliteration may be familiar to you as well.
Webster’s Collegiate 10th Edition
states:
“Alliteration: the
repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words
or syllables (as wild and woolly, threatening throngs) called also head rhyme,
initial rhyme.” Using alliteration and building sentences from a wide choice of
synonyms can work wonders helping you recall what words come
next.
“Hooks” are the
associations you will use to connect various data, but they involve specific
tools that you first have to be made consciously aware of in order to use these
hooks to your advantage. (Some examples of what I mean by specific tools (or
techniques) are absurd and unusual imagery (probably the most strikingly easy to
understand), using similar sounding “concrete” terminology to remind you
of abstract terminology, and then the afore mentioned
acronyms, alliteration, rhyme etc.)
“Pegs” are the anchors
you will use upon which to hang your hooks (your associations). These pegs are
permanently in your head because they are the first real part of this “major
memory system”. They are
key to starting your chain of multiple links of
recall. Each peg will become as
easy for you to “locate” within your recall as your own hand. Actual physical locations were used in
ancient times, which is why we still have the phrases “In the first place”, “In
the second place” etc. in our literature and vocabularies. Roman statesmen would
learn a speech by walking through well-known buildings and up familiar streets
and associating thoughts to physical objects in the places they visited sequentially along the way. Then,
when giving speeches, as they spoke they would mentally walk in their minds
through these locations drawing their words from the associations of their ideas
to the specific places that they had made earlier. Later it was discovered that
they did not have to use actual physical objects or places to peg their ideas,
that they could anchor their associations (hooks) to virtually anything
meaningful to them.
For the moment you may also benefit from using the
following methods and techniques as well:
Natural normal memory for most of us involves
reviewing information three to seven times before long term retention sets in.
The short-term-memory forgetting curve tends to be about 30 seconds
(approximately the time it takes for a phone number to be remembered before you
forget it or write it down. By
reviewing the data several times in succession after waiting 30 seconds in
between [without looking at it on paper unless you have to] and then waiting 2
minutes and reviewing it, and then again 30 minutes later, we can force short
term into long term). Thereafter
review on a scheduled rotation basis. 24 hour, 72 hour and
finally 7 day. This helps
place the information into long term memory and keeps it there as long as you
need. The best and most secure long term memories are what are referred to as
“loops”. Memory loops can be created by attaching the last word of what you are
memorizing to the first word so that the information flows without pause from
start to finish and shifts seamlessly to start again within your mind. This has to be a conscious effort at
first until whatever it is material you are learning becomes a single circular
looped piece of information.
Super-Learning and Sleep-Learning techniques can also
be employed. Super Learning involves listening to classical baroque music of the
one beat per second "largo tempo" while studying. Sleep-Learning uses the first
hour after sleep and the last hour of sleep before waking. Needed are a tape
recorder, a three minute endless loop cassette (Radio Shack still sells them), a
timer and an under-pillow speaker. The recorded information is timed to begin an
hour of play 15 to 30 minutes after falling asleep and another hour just prior
to waking. Each three minute recorded loop message should be played for one week
and casually reviewed periodically during the day. During periods of
semiconscious lucidity (without getting up or moving about) you will want
to work mentally with the tape as it plays while drifting in and out of
sleep.
Now, back to
association. As you will soon
see, almost any tangible concrete object that you can imagine can be stacked on
any other object. For
instance:
Meter, tulip, notch and law. Easy to imagine, right? This is simple enough (for the sake of example in order to teach you the technique). When you associate them though, make the picture outlandish and as strange as you can because these images are easiest to recall. You can associate a giant parking meter to a huge tulip by simply sticking the stem of the tulip into the coin slot of the parking meter then have a notch in the top of the tulip with a cop (law) standing in the notch. Make your own associations for best results, and do not use someone else’s. Many things you will want to learn are not going to be concrete objects though. Foreign vocabulary is a prime example. The French word for grapefruit is Pamplemousse. The most immediate thing that comes to mind is a “pimply moose”. This is what I meant when I said “using similar sounding ‘concrete’ terminology to remind you of abstract (or less immediately meaningful) terminology”. There are innumerable intangibles, concepts, rules etc. that you can easily memorize using this method. A perfect example of another use for simple association is in memorizing peoples names. You can take a person’s name, create a concrete image and attach the “sound alike” name to a some prominent feature on the person’s face for you to recall their name later. It doesn’t have to be flattering to the person (you’ll never tell them how it is that you are remembering their name anyway), as for example (I’ll use myself as this example) my name is David. I have a somewhat large nose in my opinion… one could even imagine that it is so large, that it is a "goliath" sized nose, thus: "David and Goliath". That works for me. Whenever you see my nose, you’ll think of “David” - and you won't call me Goliath, because nobody has that name any more. Do you see how simple that is? From the simple we go to the complex - and the truly exciting. Phonetics.
Now we arrive at the area
which really blows the old systems away.
This is the exciting part you’ve been waiting for and I’ve been readying
you for. Phonetic digit
transposition, re-digitalization and digitalization of consonant values is
For
example:
The number one (1) is
assigned the sounds of d, th, t, (duh), (thuh) and (tuh), therefore the
consonant sounds in the words: die, day, tea, tee, tie, they, thou, the
etc ALL have the numeric value “one”.
2 is assigned the sound n makes. Example: new, now, knee
(notice that knee is still 2? The
“k” is silent),
3 is assigned m. Example: me, moo,
4 is r. Examples: air,
oar, rye. All stand for the number four.
5 is L. Examples: lay, oil, law, elI,
eel.
6 is ‘sh’, ‘j’, ‘ch’,
soft g (ex: gesture). Examples are: she, shy, jay, Jew, chow, gee. The way to
associate these meanings is simple.
7 is 1<, hard c, hard
g. Examples: key, gay, goo, cow.
8 is f, v and ph.
Examples: vow, “phee phi pho
phuey”, Fay, ivy etc.
9 is b and p. Examples: bee, bow, pow, pea.
0 is z, s, soft c. Examples: sea, Cynthia,
zero
1. “d” and
“t” have one line going up, like the number 1.
2. “n” has
two lines: the number 2.
3. “m” has three lines: the number
3.
4. “r” is the last letter of “four”.
5. “L” is like your open hand (5
fingers) - index finger with extended thumb L.
6. Soft “g”, “j” sh, and “ch”, the g
is an upside down 6: “g-6”
7. “1<”, “c”, hard “g” is seven,
“K” looks like a leaning upside down seven
8. “f”, “v”,
“ph”, the scripted version of f looks like the number “8”
elongated.
9. “p”, “b”
look like 9’s. “p” is flipped horizontally and “b” is
upside down.
0. “z”,
“s” and soft “c” are zero: zero starts with the letter
“z”.
Putting two of these
together we can write the number ten as:
“toes” the t sound being 1 and s sound being
0.
Now, using the above
information let’s go back to the association meter, tulip, notch and
law.
Meter,
tulip, notch, law. Only the consonant
sounds, NOT the letters.
3 14 15 9 2 6 5 --- the
value of pi is 3.14159265. Each consonant sound is represented by the number
below it. Notice that the “tch” in notch is not 16 but 6. That’s because the t
is silent. Similarly, double letters are not counted twice if they are not
sounded twice, because it is not the spelling but the phonetic
pronunciation.
Example:
1 9 1859521 420 4 21 21 4 21
The beautiful blond runs round and
round.
If you intend to learn
the system you must learn the values of 0 through 9. Fluency takes practice, but
it’s fun learning and good mental exercise you can get
anywhere. It’s exercise for the mind walking down the street transposing license
plates (numbers and letters). It’s also useful right away because you’re using
it while you learn other things, the more you learn the more you practice. I’m
self-taught. Once I got fluent enough I used it to my advantage in
bar-management school learning about wines, beers, spirits and the exact
measurements to 300 drinks and never got less than 98% on the specification
tests. I also used it to teach myself German in six months. For German I used
sleep learning, super-learning, home made flash cards, home made vocabulary
tapes and a walkman, advanced MNEMOTECHNIQUE, lots of cigars, black coffee,
and total concentration, six days a week. Without the system I would have given
up my goal to learn it in five to six months. It works.
Here is the Peg list for the numbers from one to one hundred. The good news is that you can associate each word to the next the same way as when you were a kid learning your spelling words by making a silly story about them, stringing them all together. After you have the information hooked to the hundreds of “pegs” you can then go over them in your head while traveling, while in the shower, or brushing your teeth etc. You need the pegs to anchor and recall your associations. You have to start recalling something from somewhere, and if you’ve anchored your first thought and their subsequent links to a well know location (in this case one of these number/words), you can go back to it. If you (temporarily) can’t recall one of your associations needing to be strengthened, you will go on to the next peg and continue with the next portion of your data which is similarly anchored firmly in a spot where you can find and recall it.
1)
Tie
26) Notch
51) Lot
76) Cash
2)
Noah
27) Neck
52) Lion
77) Coke
3) Ma
28) Knife
53) Loom
78) Cave
4)
5)
Law
30) Mouse
55) Lilly
80) Fuzz
6)
Shoe
31) Mat
56) Leech
81) Fat
7)
Cow
32) Moon
571 Lock
82) Phone
8)
Ivy
33) Mummy
58) Lava
83) Foam
9) Bee
34) Mower
59) Lip
84) Fur
10)
Toes
35) Mule
60) Cheese
85) File
11)
Tot
36) Match
61) Sheet
86) Fish
12)
Tin
37) Mug
62) Chain
87) Fog
13)
Tomb
38) Movie
63) Chum
88)
14)
Tire
39) Mop
64) Chair
89) Fob
15)
Towel
40) Rose
65) Jail
90) Bus
16)
Dish
41) Rod
66) Judge
91) Bat
17)
Tack
42) Rain
67) Jack
92) Bone
18)
Dove
43) Rum
68) Jive
93) Bum
19)
Tub
44) Rower
69) Jap
94) Bear
20)
Nose
45) Roll
70) Case
95)
21)
Net
46) Roach
71) Cat
96) Beach
22)
Nun
47) Rock
72) Can
97) Book
23)
Nemo
48) Roof
73) Comb
98) Buff
24)
Nero
49) Rope
74) Car
99) Baby
25)
Nail
50) Lace
75) Coal
100) Disease
That list looks daunting at first, and it is if you
try to remember it the old way, by brute force rote memorization. I tried it that way until I reminded
myself that what I was LEARNING was a BETTER way to learn things, and to apply
the system to the list. When I did,
I had it memorized in under two hours.
I remember the story I made up.
I was sixteen: “A tie was
around the neck of Noah who was talking to my Ma who was eating a piece of rye
and standing next to the law. He
looked down at his shoe made out of a cow as he stood in some
ivy...”
That list of 100 is usually more than sufficient for
normal sized learning projects. When you link an associated data chain to the
peg word you have not just memorized the data chain, but you’ve pegged it to a
known point of reference in your brain.
The pegs serve two purposes though. You can chain the
pegs together to memorize numbers. Later you will not need to rely on the peg
words because you’ll use any words that come to mind. Like in the example I gave
you earlier, the number "19185952142042121421. That number would be broken
down into phonetic sounds equivalent to a few easy to remember words such
as:
1 9 1859521 420 4 21 21 4 21
The beautiful blond runs round and
round.
In the beginning while you're learning the system
(until you become fluent in the system and it becomes much easier, exponentially
more efficient, and faster) you would use words in the peg system, so you could
use:
Tub dove law bell net rain
sea rain tin tire net. Then you just link them together. 19 18
5 95 21 42 0 42 12 14 21 - same
thing.
The key is practice. Practice wherever possible transposing license plates into numbers and letters into numbers, in supermarkets with prices, on the street turning street names into numbers etc.... Within a few months you’ll have transformed your brain into a powerful memory machine able to do easily what had been impossible. Your ability to focus on exact and minute technical detail will go far beyond the general expectations placed upon you for tests, so you'll actually have to slow down memorizing too much technical detail and focus more on the general areas which are on most tests. These advanced systems are also used by magicians, gamblers and card counters (remember Rain Man?), politicians who need to know names and faces and serious students everywhere and anywhere who want and need a serious edge. These people usually prefer to keep their unnatural advantage secret and don’t tell anyone about the system.
This system is challenging to learn, but it is hugely rewarding - and remember: you will be using it every day for the rest of your life. Once learned it will soon become so easy that you won't even be aware that you ever learned without it, and you'll become aware that when you're struggling to learn something it's because you're not using the system. You’ll see others with “bad:” memories all around and remember what that used to be like. But you’ve got to take the first steps.
The best news is that you can use the system to learn the system. I first tried to learn the system by rote memorization - going over and over the lists and pegs and meanings in my head for weeks and not getting anywhere. Suddenly it dawned on me that I was learning the system without USING the system, so that night, I wrote down a story using the list and within two days of practice I had the entire story memorized - and the entire list and peg system was mine and I was on my way to transposing license plate numbers, street signs, telephone numbers, dates in history, mathematical equations... and later binary, hexadecimal numbers, IRQ numbers and all sorts of other data useful in computer science.
Another practice for the code is adding long multiple
digit numbers in your head, transposing each digit column’s answer into a two
digit word and then adding the words together one column at a time to come up
with the answer.
234
341
548
tomb
tot
tie
Nemo
toes
dead
Nemo
234
341
548
13
11
123
10
1123
That's a little advanced trick I taught myself when I was younger. I had up to 18 waitresses coming to me for drinks when I worked in the Mirage Cocktail Lounge at the New York Hilton on 6th Avenue and 54th Street. I added up all of their credit cards tips in my head every night for practice, and 9 out of 10 times I was right, and had the answer before they did. The really neat trick was when I started doing multiplication of multi-digit numbers in my head. With practice, after you've used the system for a few years, you can do that too - sooner if you strive for it.
Next comes the alphabet as a
peg system and then a Grid System, using both letters and numbers.
The alphabet peg system is as
follows:
A. Ape
J. Jay
S. Ess
B. Bean
K. Cake
T. Tea
C. Sea
L. Elf
U. Ewe
D. Dean
M. Emperor
V. Veal
E. Eel
N. End
W. Water
F. Fan
0. Old
X. Eggs
G. Jeep
P. Pea
Y. Wine
H. Itch
Q.
Cue
Z. Zebra
I.
Ivy
R. Art
Perhaps now you see why it may be necessary to receive training in this method. While the rewards are immense, the material is at first perplexing and seemingly difficult. I assure you though that once learned, it becomes automatic and almost child's play to use, and there is even software for your computer that will help you, which was not available when I learned this system on my own.
The situation may also arise that you would have to
alphabetize materials quickly and need to know the numeric position of each
letter of the alphabet:
1. Ape -
tie
10.Jay - toes
19. Ess - tub
2. Bean -
Noah
11.Cake - tot
20.Tea - nose
3. Sea - ma
12. Elf - tin
21. Ewe - net
4. Dean -
rye
13. Emperor - tomb
22. Veal - nun
5. Eel -
law
14. End - tire
23.Water - Nemo
6. Fan -
shoe
15.Old - towel
24. Eggs - Nero
7. Jeep -
cow
16. Pea - dish
25. Wine - nail
8. Itch -
ivy
17.Cue - tack
26.Zebra - notch
9. eye - bee
18.Art - dove
Most of those pictures are
pretty easy to associate to one another.
Itch and ivy,
cake and tot, Ewe and net.
H (itch) is the 8th (ivy) letter, K (cake) is the
11th (tot) letter, U (ewe) is the
21st (net) letter…. An old towel, a pool cue with a tack on the end
of it, Picasso’s dove (art), an S shaped tub… etc. etc. With this system
it's easy to recall that k is the eleventh letter and p is the sixteenth...
The third extension of this logical plan is the grid
system. The grid uses letters A to J, numbers 1 to 10 (zero).
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