Improving English - iDea 3: Use your Senses

Learning is an art. Unfortunately our modern education system forces us to cram and mug up before the exams. This approach isn’t healthy in the long run. Our ancient wisdom never encouraged this kind of learning.

Learning is related to pleasure, not pain. Many people assume learning as a burden or a load to get rid of. But it isn’t. Learning –-when rightly taught-– is a pleasure.
We no longer need to go distant places to learn English. We no longer need to have high-tech tools to accompany our learning. 
The problem with us is: In the process of getting what we want, we forget what we (already) have.

Yes! We have great potential within us which is waiting to be unfolded. Our body contains enough amount of organs and powers which can take us to new levels of progress. One such power which we often ignore or take it for granted is: The Power of our Senses.

"All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason." said Immanuel Kant, the great German philosopher.

May be in this 21st century our senses are often the most neglected parts of our lives. May be that is the reason why our knowledge is not as deep as our ancestors. If we can rightly utilize the power of our senses, we can do wonders.
Let us understand how we can use our senses to learn and improve English –especially the new words we often come across.
We can use our 5 senses – sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell – to enhance our English learning experience.


Sight:
When you encounter a new word while reading or watching TV, take a pause. Note the word on a paper. Check the spelling. Now see its meaning in a dictionary (preferably Oxford Advanced Learners). 

Now our technique begins: Assume the new word is ‘epidemic’, the meaning of this word is ‘a fast-spreading disease which can infect many people at the same time.’ The best example of an epidemic is the recent swine flu. The other examples are dengue fever, plague etc. 

You understood the meaning, now what?
‘See’ the epidemic. How?
As you know the picture is worth thousand words. Go to Google images and search for ‘swine flu’ or ‘epidemic’ you will see lot of images relevant to it. Close your eyes and  connect that visual image to the word ‘epidemic’
Repeat this 3 times and for 3 continuous days. I promise, you will never forget the word.

Hearing:
The more you hear the new word the easier it is to remember.
The technique is – you should hear the word from your own voice. 

A new word is often ignored. That is why we lack rich vocabulary. We receive what we focus. Hence pay more attention to the words you listen to.
You are watching TV and the news reporter said “In a stampede at the famous temple in south India many people have died.”

What’s the new word? Stampede.
Stampede means ‘a sudden uncontrolled rush of many people in a way to enter or escape an unexpected situation’

You are in a theater watching a movie. Someone shouted unexpectedly that there is a bomb in the theater. What happens next is called stampede. People rush to the exit in commotion; some may fall on the ground, some may run over them. Some may even die in this event. This mad rush is called stampede. 

Speak out the word, stampede: Loud...Louder...Loudest. Hear the word from your own voice. Repeat it for 3 days. Every morning when you see your face in the mirror, say the word thrice loudly. Whenever you say it, recollect its meaning too. That’s it. You won’t forget it.

Touch:
How can you ‘touch’ the word? Here’s how. 

There are certain words in English which are related to objects. This technique is more suited to them than any other words.For example, did you hear the word 'pendant'? A pendant is an ornament or a piece of jewelry that hangs from a necklace, bracelet, or earring. Typically it consists of a small piece of love symbol or a diamond symbol (it can be of any shape) which hangs from the actual ornament people wear. This small piece is called the pendant.


If you already have a pendant, please close your eyes, be cool and relaxed. Take a deep breath and now slowly ‘touch’ the pendant and f-e-e-l it. Now repeat the word, ‘pendant’ and register its meaning in the mind. Every time you see the pendant, memorize it once again, just for a second. Repeat it until you feel confident of remembering the word.


Taste:
I think the sense of taste lasts longer than any other sense. We get excited about a dinner party because our mind immediately triggers our past experiences of the things we have tasted earlier.

This technique is suitable for two kinds of vocabulary. One for the things that are edible meaning anything that we can eat and digest. Two for the words related to food in some way or the other.

Let's discuss about a word related to food: Dessert (it’s not desert; observe the double‘s’). A dessert is the last item of the meal. When you visit a restaurant, after having the starters and the main course, you order an ice cream or a milk shake etc. these are called desserts.

So next time you go for a treat or a party, when you ‘taste’ that melting yummy ice cream connect the word ‘dessert’ with the ice cream. Memorize the taste along with the meaning of the word. Do it for at least 3 parties and you will never forget the taste! I mean the word.

Smell:
Can you remember the addictive smell of a fragrant flower? 
Recollect the aroma of the hot coffee, the moment you smell it, your mind pushes you to taste it. There is magic in the sense of smell.

Identify some words related to smell and connect them with a relevant experience.

For example the word ‘stinky’ means something which smells very unpleasant. We often experience this when a bus or a truck smokes out. The smell of its pollution is very unpleasant. Whenever you come across such a situation, repeat the word or even shout on the road ‘stinky.’  The more you repeat, the more you remember.

Apart from that there are many idioms related to smell.
Example, ‘smell a rat’ when somebody says ‘I smell a rat’ it means that they believe that there is something wrong with the situation. They suspect that someone is being dishonest or not telling the truth.

The investigator said “I don’t think this is a suicide. I smell a rat. Someone might have murdered him. ”
Have you ‘sensed’ it?

That’s how we can harness the power of senses.

The more you use them, the more they help you in remembering the words. Use your senses and identify the new words that are associated with them. Later connect them with these techniques. Ask me if you need clarification.
Keep in mind that everything is around you. The only thing is you have to identify and pay attention to them. Unless you have the zeal to learn new words, you will not find any. Once you are fired with such passion you can find new words anywhere --on the billboards, in the ads, on the TV, newspaper, from a co-worker. There is no limit.  

Vernon Howard once said "Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will." 


Once you 'taste' this new experience you will 'see' the world differently. 'Smell' the new and shed the old. Continue 'hearing' such new vocabulary and soon you will 'touch' your dream of speaking great English.

All the best! - ajaY vegeSna.

Note: Remember that every word in the world may not fit into these ‘sensory’ techniques, but there are majority words which fall into this group. So be wise to choose the relevant words. As you practice, you can catch the difference.