Memory and teaching a second language

mnemonics keyword

Abstract

Language learning would be impossible without an efficient use of our memory capacity. Consequently, establishing the effectiveness of the associative principle on which mnemotechnics rely during the acquisition of foreign vocabulary contributes to the improvement of this learning. That is the reason why the main objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the memory techniques that are currently used in language teaching. The 30 participants belonged to different grades of Primary Education. The keyword method was set so as to measure its effects on the memory process of vocabulary recalling. The results showed a direct link between this technique and a meaningful English-lexis learning. This underlines the positive effect of mnemotechnics on second language learning.