| Picture Dictionaries | | | | textbook author does not come close to the |
| | | | effectiveness of the communication |
| Picture Dictionaries are books that differ | | | | professionals in the agencies. So while you |
| significantly from what you would expect from | | | | may not like to be bothered by ads in your |
| a regular dictionary. They are made up of | | | | own language you should take a look at them |
| different themes - such as "At the airport" | | | | in the language you want to learn. Certain |
| or "in the supermarket". They will show many | | | | phrases will store themselves in your brain |
| pictures - mostly things and situations that | | | | instantly remain in your memory for a long |
| fit this specific theme and mention the words | | | | time. Most of them are short, funny and easy |
| below the picture in English and German - and | | | | to remember. Anyway, it is advertisement |
| maybe many other languages. You might think | | | | isn't it?Picture Associations |
| this is just for kids. But any adult can get | | | | |
| such a great deal of information out of a | | | | When you hear a word in German that does not |
| picture dictionary. It makes learning fun, | | | | resemble anything you know in English try to |
| visual and context sensitive. Most people | | | | think if this word reminds you of anything |
| learn better in a visual way. So these mostly | | | | funny or strange that your know. The more |
| 2-sided themes will help you tremendously | | | | unusual the association the better. Consider |
| because they summarize the most relevant | | | | the German word 'Kissen' which means |
| vocabulary for a theme clustered together | | | | 'pillow'. Just think of yourself kissing your |
| with pictures that are fun to look at and to | | | | girlfriend/boyfriend on a pillow. This |
| browse through. I use them myself regularly | | | | association makes sense and is easy to |
| and it just doesn't feel like you are | | | | memorize. The best thing: It involves |
| learning - it's as relaxing as going through | | | | emotions. Emotions are a great accelerator |
| a magazine. But the amount of content you | | | | for memorizing and remembering things. It |
| pick up this way is amazing. Think of it: It | | | | doesn't even have to be positive emotions. |
| resembles much more reality than learning | | | | Negative feelings work as well. Anything that |
| pairs of printed words. A word is just an | | | | is not boring will make you remember the |
| abstraction of something real. So when you | | | | words you wanted to remember.What You Should |
| are learning vocables you are dealing with | | | | NOT Do |
| two abstractions tied together. However, we | | | | |
| tend to think in pictures. Your mind has to | | | | Although it might seem tempting DO NOT use |
| do two things: Translate the picture in your | | | | music and song lyrics to learn a foreign |
| mind to an English word, translate the | | | | language. Most songs contain either a form of |
| English word into the German word by looking | | | | dialect, inappropriate slang or rude |
| up that word pair you memorized. So when you | | | | language. Many songs play with language by |
| look in picture dictionaries you get the | | | | falsifying it and twisting it around. Some |
| words associated directly with pictures in | | | | use very old-fashioned and poetry-style |
| your mind.Sometimes a picture dictionary is | | | | language. So don't use it.Don't read German |
| the only way to explain a certain thing to a | | | | newspapers. Most of them are very political |
| non-native speaker, because in many | | | | and use a terminology which is extremely hard |
| situations we cannot explain what we mean | | | | to understand. The sentences are extremely |
| even in our own language - particularly | | | | long, so usually when you get to the end you |
| certain types of food or special technical | | | | cannot remember how it started. Newspapers |
| terminology.Advertisements | | | | are clearly for the advanced language |
| | | | learner. So please stay away from them in the |
| Another unusual way to learn German - as | | | | beginning.The author operates his own web |
| well as any language is through | | | | site on learning German. |
| advertisements. Why ads? Because ads are made | | | | |
| by professional marketing experts for just | | | | |
| one thing: Transport a message clearly and | | | | |
| quickly and get in your memory and make you | | | | A Quality index of resources for learning |
| remember it. That's exactly what you want | | | | German on the net. |
| when you learn a language. A teacher or a | | | | |