A common question among learners is how to store vocabulary for a longer period of time. Many students learn hundreds of words in school or college, but they often forget them. To tackle this issue, we must first understand how our brain processes language. When we hear a word, we may visualize its spelling, such as “heart.” Additionally, we might associate the word with an emoji used on social media or an image found in medical books. However, students typically textualize words, which is why they often forget them. For instance, when I asked a student if a specific image came to mind after hearing a sentence, he replied, “No, only the English structure came to my mind.”
To retain vocabulary long-term, it is crucial to visualize and associate words with other concepts. For example, consider the context of “Why did she come downstairs?” instead of just focusing on the word “downstairs.” This helps create a more robust memory link.
Every word has contextual meanings. Learning words out of context often leads to confusion. For instance, if a person only knows the semantic meaning of “chair” as a noun with four legs, they might not understand its use in “chaired a meeting” where “chaired” is a verb. Therefore, it is essential to learn the contextual and pragmatic meanings of words.
Our brain tends to forget words that we don’t regularly use. Hence, it is important to practice and recycle relevant vocabulary frequently. Words learned randomly might not stay in our memory as effectively as those used in our daily life. For instance, in Pakistan, students often focus on translating words instead of understanding their application. Knowing that “book” can be a noun, an adjective (“bookish”), or a verb (“to book a ticket”) and using these forms in different contexts helps in retaining them longer.
By implementing these strategies, you can significantly improve your ability to store and recall vocabulary for a longer period.