5 tips for efficient vocabulary learning
Vocabulary learning is a vital part of learning a language. No matter how perfect your grammar is, if you don’t have the words to explain yourself, you won’t get very far with your language skills. Yet, expanding your vocabulary bank is like being on a diet: You need to put effort along the way. Everyone has to figure out what works for them. And with a suitable method, you will be able to learn vocabulary quickly and efficiently.
1.Back-to-basics
One of the most common ways to learn vocabulary is to look it up in a dictionary for the meaning, correct spelling, and pronunciation. After checking the official definition of the vocab, it is better to connect the new word to your memory and create your own definition as most words don’t have a perfect translation of their meaning. Learning the IPA of a word is also critical in the very beginning to learn vocabulary efficiently. Pronunciation of words may vary from time to time depending on their parts of speech, its meaning, and their landing in the sentence. Thus, knowing the correct pronunciation avoids the need to go back and correct bad pronunciation habits.
2. Associate to a real-life context
Instead of reciting and writing lists of random words, it is a good idea to learn words quickly by putting them in context. Vocabs can be easily forgotten once you move on to new ones. Through practicing new words during the week as often as you can, it can consolidate new knowledge and also keep you motivated. It is discovered by researchers Victor Boucher and Alexis Lafleur, of the University of Montreal in Canada that repeating words aloud to another person is more effective than solely reading it to yourself. This points to the fact that the more you create an association of your vocabs to a daily content and engaging in meaningful communication, the more it strengthens your fluency and linguistic memory in the long run.
3.Learn through different sources
Why not make language learning fun and entertaining? Songs, podcasts, movies, books, and other leisure contexts can be sources to learn vocabulary from. It is more efficient and effortless to acquire new words and phrases through a different medium as it involves the use of visual or auditory memory. When a word is associated with the melody of a song, a scene, a character or an event, etc., the image or the rhythm will help you with memorizing it. So, try to figure out the meaning of words and write them down whenever you come across them in books, movies, and songs. Immerse language learning into your hobbies and learn vocabulary efficiently!
4.Focus on practical words
If your intention to expand your word bank is for career purposes such as working in an overseas business firm, you probably wouldn’t need Shakespeare’s poems nor plays to study from. Focus on using practical words that are relevant for your career, hobbies and real-life conversations. The more often you use the vocabulary, the easier it is to learn. You can always start with the basic vocabulary from day-to-day life before moving on to specialized terms.
5.Immerse yourself into the language society
There is literally no way to avoid the language you are trying to learn when you are studying abroad or on a working holiday overseas. From watching local broadcasts, communicating with your colleagues, ordering food from restaurants, and even reading the adverts up around town, every interaction in the city will increase the number of words you know. Immersion is the fastest way to boost your ability to understand and speak the language. Don’t allow yourself to make excuses for being shy to talk to a native speaker again!
