Language Learning Starts with a Great Memory
In any case, if you are interested in memory and how to increase your memory-power, you should start with Joshua Foer. He’s a “regular guy” a journalist with an interest in those world memorization championships. He goes deep into the world of competitive memorizing, and ends up understanding a great deal of how this “sport” works. His book, Moonwalking with Einstein, is a great read, and a wonderful introduction into the ideas behind increasing memory. One takeaway from his research is that really, anyone can do this. And, when you think about it, pre-printing press, many of us did. We had to. It’s hard to remember (hee hee) a time when memorizing stuff was necessary. In this modern age, it seems like the stuff of science fiction.
So the basis for much of the good language learning software out there seems to be learning how to memorize. But on to the best of the language learning software:
Great Language Learning Software — Start Learning Now:
First, before the main list, we’ll mention Duolingo again. It’s awesome for bilingual education, for translation and for language learning software. We’ve covered it before, however, so no need to include it in this official list.
- Memrise — This starts out free, and allows you to create mems to help you learn anything, including language vocabulary. You use courses created by others, or create your own, and off you go. This idea is the one used by many of the top competitive memorizers in the world, and the startup’s founder is himself a competitive memorizing champion. So try it out!
- Anki — Very similar to Memrise, in the sense that it’a all about memorizing things, anki comes from the Japanese word for flashcard, and that, essentially, is what Anki is all about. The software remembers what you need to learn, and gives you those flashcards until you remember and no longer need them. It works. It’s free. Try it!
- Pimsleur — There’s a reason this method is so popular with language teachers and linguists. It works – and it’s based on sound theory and has years of success behind it. Not bad. You need to actually buy this language learning software, but it’s reasonably priced and, again, has a 50 year history to back it up. This is a solid language learning method.
Join us by helping to promote bilingual education in your local schools, or by learning a new language today! There’s no excuse in this Internet age. The tools are at your fingertips. All you need is a bit of motivation, and some dedicated time to study.
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