Many people try to memorize a large number of words all at once. However, this method is inefficient.
Let’s take an example.
Nowadays, we have smartphones that allow us to store names and make calls with just one click. But before, with public phones, we had to first remember the phone number from a small notebook (memorization) and then dial it to make a call. However, once the goal of dialing the phone number was achieved, there was no need to keep remembering the number, as the purpose of memorizing it had been fulfilled. As a result, this information stays in memory for a short time and then disappears. This is what we call short-term memory.
Now, how would we retain this phone number for longer without needing to refer to the notebook? We might try writing down the number while memorizing it, or we could assign special meaning to it. For example, if the number is '1004,' we might remember it as "angel" in Korean (천사), which helps us convert general information into more significant information, allowing for longer retention. Many people have experienced this. Such special efforts help us retain information for longer, and this corresponds to long-term memory.
Now, let’s assume you try to memorize 100 words in one hour. Many people on YouTube claim to teach this kind of skill, right?
Trying to quickly memorize 100 words corresponds to the first case I mentioned. You struggle to memorize each word and, once you feel you’ve learned it, you move on to the next one. Just like you might easily forget a phone number after dialing, the same happens with words. Even though you might remember them at the moment, you’ll soon forget. Even if you use some kind of rule or technique to memorize, you may remember them longer, but when you try to use those words in expressions, those rules or techniques may not apply. As a result, you won’t be able to use the expressions.
Moreover, this kind of memorization leaves only a very faint impression. Even if you memorize, the extent to which it is imprinted varies. When you try to memorize many words all at once, the depth of imprinting is extremely low, proportional to the time spent. It stays in short-term memory for a while, but soon disappears. So in the end, you forget everything.
As you memorize the first word and move on to the second, and then the third, the previous words gradually lose importance.
Because of this, even if you try to memorize 100 words every day, the impressions are so faint that you end up forgetting almost all of them. However, some words may still be learned meaningfully through context or texts. In such cases, you might have a memory of having memorized them, and later on, encountering them meaningfully can help solidify them as part of your own vocabulary. Ultimately, memorization techniques that claim you can learn 100 words per hour are close to useless until you encounter the words in meaningful contexts.
Therefore, you can learn words better by encountering and using them meaningfully at the right time. As a result, the number of words you can actually learn in an hour will never exceed 100. It might only be three or four, and in most situations, fewer than 10.
When we learn a foreign language, the majority of the time is actually spent reinforcing (reconsolidation) previously learned words through reading, listening, or conversation.
Reconsolidation refers to deeply imprinting learned words into memory, to the level where we can immediately understand and use them with full comprehension.
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