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The
major system, or phonetic mnemonic is one of the most
powerful memory systems. The system works by converting
number sequences into nouns, nouns into images, and
linking images into sequences. These sequences can be
very complex and detailed.
This
system takes more time to master than the others.
Digit
Consonant sounds hints
0 z,
s, soft-c 'z' is the first letter of zero
1
t, th, d 't' has one down stroke
2
n 'n' has two legs (down strokes)
3 m
'm' has three legs (down strokes)
4
r 'r' is the last sound in fouR
5
l 'l' or L is the Roman numeral 50
6
soft-g, j, sh, ch 'g' when turned around gives '6'
7
k, q, hard-c, hard-g 'k' is made of two 7's back-to-back
(7<)
8
f, v 'f' when written in script looks like '8'
9
p, b 'p' when turned around gives '9'
Each
digit is represented by one family of consonant sounds.
Some sounds are not used: 'w', 'h', and 'y' (remember as
'why'). Vowels do not carry any meaning, so that they
can be used as 'fillers' when composing words.
At the
first level we code each number into a short noun. This
is made up of the consonant coding for the number, and
vowels that turn the consonant into a word. Some
examples are shown below:
0 - saw
1 - toe
2 - neigh
3 - ma
4 - ray
5 - law
6 - jaw
7 - key
8 - fee
9 - pie
You can
use these words in association much like the other peg
technique memory words.
Moving to the second level
Similar
rules apply to creating a standard word from two
numbers. It is best not to try to use a single number
word as a root, as this can confuse the image.
Write
down the numbers 01 to 99, and apply the rules to create
memory words for yourself.
A few
examples are shown below:
09 -
z, p - zap
17 - t, ch - tech
23 - n, m - name
36 - m, sh - mesh
41 - r,s - rose
52 - l, n - line
64 - ch, r - chair
75 - k, l - keel
89 - f, p - fop
98 - b, f - beef
Taking the Major System
Further
Just
using double number words may be enough to make this a
sufficiently powerful mnemonic for you. Alternatively
you may decide to use triple number words, using the
same construction rules as double number words.
Examples
are:
182 -
d, v, n - Devon
304 - m, s, r - miser
400 - r, c, s - races
651 - j, l, d - jellied
801 - f, z, d - fazed
Using Words to
Remember Long Numbers
Once
you have come up with words and images to link to your
numbers, you can start to apply the technique to
remember, for example, long numbers. A good way of doing
this is to associate Major System words with stops on a
journey (see 7.1.5).
Example:
The
number Pi is 3.14159265359 (to 11 decimal places). Using
the major system and the journey system (see example)
together, I can remember this as:
Passing my Ma (3) by the front door of my
house
Seeing that someone has dared (1,4,1) to
sleep under the rose bush in the garden
Someone has tied a loop (5,9) of yellow
ribbon onto the steering wheel of my car
I see a poster with a photo of a steaming
pile of sausages and mashed potato,
with the title 'glorious nosh' (2,7) at
the end of the road
A lama (5,3) is grazing on grass outside
the garage forecourt
Another loop (5,9) of yellow ribbon has
been tied around the railway bridge. This
is getting strange!
Making Mnemonics More
Memorable
You can do the following things to make your mnemonics
more memorable:
Use positive, pleasant images. The brain
often blocks out unpleasant ones
Use vivid, colorful, sense-laden images -
these are easier to remember than
drab ones
Use all your senses to code information
or dress up an image. Remember that
your mnemonic can contain sounds, smells,
tastes, touch, movements and
feelings as well as pictures.
Give your image three dimensions,
movement and space to make it more vivid.
You can use movement either to maintain
the flow of association, or to help you
to remember actions.
Exaggerate the size of important parts of
the image
Use humor! Funny or peculiar things are
easier to remember than normal ones.
Similarly rude rhymes are very difficult
to forget!
Symbols (red traffic lights,
pointing fingers, road signs, etc.) can code quite
complex messages quickly and effectively
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