Success With Languages» writing

Writing Is A Way To Lose Your Memory, So Pay Attention

Hanifa K. Cook — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:46:41 +0000

Contrary to popular belief, taking notes does not improve memory. It merely helps us store information in auxiliary memory, analogous to data and information in the computer which is stored for future use. I never understood this logic until recently when I wanted so badly to FORGET things I don't want to remember.

We Don’t Read When We Write Or Do We?

Annie Cook — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:40:05 +0000

Can we write without reading? This post is a response to questions to understand more about writing and reading: Let’s assume you do not understand Mandarin. Try writing the Mandarin character you see in the above picture or write/read this sentence 我是一个人。Without knowing what that sentence means, you can still copy the strokes and form [...]

What Activates And Deactivates Reading? 47 Things.

Annie Cook — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:19:25 +0000

What activates reading? What do we read? When do we read? Here are 47 things: Blog Articles Songs Poetry Drama Advertisements Billboards Television Brochures Grocery packages Grocery receipts Bills Bank Statements Notes Text messages Emails Magazines Tabloids Newspapers Timetable: school, examination Bus routes, tickets Train routes, tickets Street directories Recipe books Novels Storybooks Textbooks Invitation [...]

Concentration is key to good memory

Hanifa K. Cook — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:54:44 +0000

The areas in your brain that process this information for your memory are the hippocampus (the primitive structure in the brain), amygadala (processes emotion), cerebral cortex (used for processing information for long term memory such as languages) and network of neurons in the brain. To optimize these brain functions, I prefer to pay special attention [...]

Basics To Good Spoken Language: Pitch and Intonate

Hanifa K. Cook — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:43:36 +0000

The essence of good spoken language skills are twofolds. The first is intonation and the second is modulation of language. In this post, we will discuss intonation, with regard to the art of speaking clearly rather than the style of expression and choice of words, which is commonly referred to as diction. Understanding Of Intonation [...]

A Little Help From A Friend

Hanifa K. Cook — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:16:09 +0000

People who love children are usually intrigued by the new tricks that kids can do as they grow. At what age does the child learn to sit, walk, laugh or grip on an object? For me, there is nothing more fascinating and magical than the child who learns to speak before he goes to school.And [...]

Chinese Names Incorporated And Tattoos

Hanifa K. Cook — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 02:56:33 +0000

If you turn to any page in a Chinese dictionary for names in Mandarin, you may not come across a name like Sugiarto or Gunawan. Honestly, it may not even matter to you now because you will never come across them in your part of the world, say the United States of America or Ghana. [...]

Child’s Spoken Language Is Formed Through Silent Reading

Hanifa K. Cook — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:33:26 +0000

Although we always say that we can learn to speak well if we keep hearing the languages over and over again, there is another important way to learn to speak, that is by learning to read. By reading, I do not mean reading text. Reading foreign text is not easy; it is not the same [...]