To “get by” in a language it takes a vocabulary of about 120 basic words. Anne Merritt explains how to learn them.
若想把一門外語說得“湊合得過去”，至少需要掌握120個(gè)基本單詞。語言學(xué)家Anne Merritt 向我們解釋該如何學(xué)習(xí)這些單詞。
When trying to learn a foreign language, most of us have the same complaint: “I’m just not good at memorising.” Learning new vocabulary can be daunting, especially for busy adults whose minds are already occupied with work, family, and other responsibilities.
我們中的絕大部分人，對(duì)于學(xué)習(xí)一門新語言都有相同的抱怨：“我記性不好�！钡拇_，學(xué)習(xí)新詞匯是挺讓人望而生畏的，尤其對(duì)于那些已經(jīng)被工作、家庭和其他責(zé)任占領(lǐng)了全部心思的成年人來說。
A comfort? Linguists say that to “get by” in a language, such as directing a taxi or asking for a phone number, it takes a vocabulary of about 120 basic words. It’s a manageable goal, and a firm foundation for beginners. Here are eight tips for getting there:
令人安慰的消息來了：語言學(xué)家表示，想把一門語言說得勉強(qiáng)能湊合著用，比如能基本滿足跟出租車司機(jī)指路、問別人要電話號(hào)碼這樣的事，只需要掌握120個(gè)基本詞匯就行。這是個(gè)可以達(dá)到的目標(biāo)，同時(shí)對(duì)于初學(xué)者而言，也是堅(jiān)實(shí)的基礎(chǔ)。若想達(dá)到以下目標(biāo)，我們提供了8個(gè)小貼士：
1. Set realistic goals
確定比較現(xiàn)實(shí)的目標(biāo)
Forget the long vocabulary study sheets, or reading the dictionary. Experts say that learners are capable or retaining 10-20 words per study hour. If you do 15 minutes of self-study per day, set a weekly vocabulary goal of 20-25 words and phrases. That’s only six weeks until the 120-word “survival kit” is learned and memorised.
把詞匯書、厚字典先扔到一邊兒去吧。專家認(rèn)為，每人每小時(shí)能夠掌握10-20個(gè)單詞。如果你每天都學(xué)習(xí)15分鐘，那么可以把每周計(jì)劃單詞量設(shè)置為20-25個(gè)生詞及詞組。這樣一來，只需要6個(gè)禮拜，你就能學(xué)會(huì)并牢記住那120個(gè)“生存必備單詞”啦。
2. Cluster
使用分組記憶法
Those one-word-a-day language learning apps may feel convenient, but thematically, they’re all over the place, delivering a chain of unrelated words: envelope, tired, January, receive, onion. Focus on a single theme each week. The mind naturally clusters connected words together, so learning, say, types of weather in one lesson, and parts of the body the next, works in tune with your brain’s natural system for classifying information.
有些“一日一詞”之類的語言學(xué)習(xí)類應(yīng)用可能看著挺方便，但實(shí)際上呢，他們雜亂無章地把一堆毫無聯(lián)系的詞匯擺到你面前，比如：信封、疲憊、一月、接受、洋蔥等等。不如一周只學(xué)習(xí)一個(gè)主題。這樣就可以把相關(guān)的詞匯連起來，一起記憶。比如，第一節(jié)課，你可以只學(xué)習(xí)與“天氣”有關(guān)的單詞；下一次課呢，學(xué)習(xí)“身體部位”……如此這般，你的大腦會(huì)自然而然地將信息分類。
3. Avoid opposites
不要用“反義詞法”來記憶
It might seem logical to study opposites together: hot/cold, expensive/cheap. It isn't. A learning hiccup called 'cross association' can occur, when you learn two words so closely together you end up mixing them up. If a Spanish student learns 'always' (siempre) and 'never' (nunca) together, they might later draw on one word when they mean to use the other. Instead, study the more common word first (eg: deep) and, once it’s retained, learn its opposite (shallow).
看上去，似乎記憶反義詞是挺不錯(cuò)的學(xué)習(xí)方法：冷/熱、昂貴/便宜。其實(shí)不然，它會(huì)導(dǎo)致“聯(lián)想混淆”，讓你把兩個(gè)總是一起記憶的單詞混到一塊兒去了。假如一個(gè)西班牙學(xué)生學(xué)英語，把”always永遠(yuǎn)”（西語：siempre）和”never從不”(西語：nunca)放在一起記憶，他很可能會(huì)在對(duì)話中使用與其本意相反的那個(gè)詞。我們應(yīng)該先學(xué)習(xí)常用的詞匯，比如“deep”（深）；等掌握了它，再學(xué)反義詞“shallow”（淺）。
4. Dissect new words
剖析生詞
When encountering a new word, take a look at its structure. Many words consist of prefixes and suffixes, and an understanding of these parts of speech is advantageous. The French word désagréable, for example, contains the negating prefix dés- and the adjective-forming suffix ?able. Studying these affixes can help you to understand conjugation and structure, and make educated guesses when encountering new vocabulary.
看到一個(gè)生詞，就該先琢磨它的結(jié)構(gòu)。很多詞匯都有前綴/后綴，一旦掌握了這些前后綴，對(duì)辨識(shí)詞義的幫助極大。比如法語詞匯“désagréable”中含有否定義的前綴“dés-”和表形容詞屬性的后綴“-able”。學(xué)會(huì)這些綴詞能幫你理解詞形、結(jié)構(gòu)，以及正確推測(cè)出生詞的含義。
5. Read, read, read
要閱讀，閱讀，再閱讀
Reading helps you revisit learned vocabulary, and see those words in new sentences and contexts. One excellent source of foreign language exposure is through graded readers, which are designed specifically for language learners. Another good source is advertisements or menus, which tend to use short, colloquial text.
因?yàn)殚喿x能使你重逢學(xué)過的單詞，并用全新的句子和語境展現(xiàn)出來。分階讀本是很棒的選擇，因?yàn)樗鼈儗檎Z言學(xué)習(xí)者設(shè)計(jì)。廣告和菜單也很不錯(cuò)，因?yàn)樗鼈兌际褂昧撕?jiǎn)短而通俗的詞句。
6. Visualise
可視化
One mnemonic learning trick for new vocabulary is the Keyword Method. Drawing on a similar-sounding word in your native language, visualise a picture or scene to go with the new vocabulary. For example, on a trip to Moscow, I remembered the Russian formal hello, “Zdravstvujtye” (Здравствуйте) with the mental image of a stressed vulture. These visualisations are often abstract, ridiculous, and embarrassing to admit, but they work, especially for longer words.
生詞的記憶方法中，有一個(gè)叫“關(guān)鍵詞記憶法”。把你的母語中發(fā)音相近的單詞寫下來，然后想象其代表的形象，從而記憶生詞。舉個(gè)例子，我去莫斯科旅行的時(shí)候，學(xué)會(huì)了俄羅斯語的“你好”-“Zdravstvujtye” (Здравствуйте)，因?yàn)橛⒄Z中的“vulture”（禿鷹）跟它發(fā)音很像，我只需把重音放在后面就可以了。這些可視化的記憶方法通常很抽象、也很無厘頭，甚至有點(diǎn)讓人羞于承認(rèn)，但確實(shí)很有效果，尤其對(duì)于冗長(zhǎng)的生詞來說。
7. Focus on phrases
注重短語學(xué)習(xí)
Linguist Michael Lewis encourages language learning in lexical chunks, rather than on a word-by-word basis. A good portion of daily communication involves predictable common phrases: “turn left,” “just a minute,” “nice to meet you.” When studying a new language, memorise these phrases and you'll have a ready arsenal of dialogue, without the stress of having to build and conjugate your sentences from scratch.
語言學(xué)家Michael Lewis 鼓勵(lì)學(xué)生們用詞塊學(xué)語言，而不是一個(gè)詞兒一個(gè)詞兒地學(xué)。日常對(duì)話中，有極大一部分都是常用短語，比如“向左轉(zhuǎn)”、“等一下”、“很高興見到你”。學(xué)新語言也要牢記常用短語，很快你便能組建自己的對(duì)話短語庫來，這樣和人交流的時(shí)候便無需磕磕巴巴、一個(gè)詞一個(gè)詞地拼湊了。
8. Review often
經(jīng)常復(fù)習(xí)
In a vocabulary class, yesterday’s vocabulary is more important than today’s. The goal is to transfer the short-term knowledge of new vocabulary into your long-term memory. Review is essential ? in the first few days or weeks after learning new vocabulary, recycle those words and you'll entrench them in your memory. A good language textbook or online program will be organised in a way that reviews and applies learned vocabulary in later lessons.
學(xué)習(xí)詞匯需注意，今天的生詞永遠(yuǎn)沒有復(fù)習(xí)昨天已學(xué)會(huì)的舊詞來得重要。我們的目標(biāo)是：將生詞灌輸?shù)侥愕拈L(zhǎng)期記憶中。學(xué)會(huì)新詞的頭幾天頭幾周，多多復(fù)習(xí)，以牢固記憶。你可以選擇一本好的教材或是一個(gè)在線學(xué)習(xí)網(wǎng)站，以有組織地回顧、應(yīng)用之前學(xué)會(huì)的東西。
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