I still want to learn French, although I am waiting until I get to the language course in The School of Phenomenal Memory.
I am currently on Lesson 18, which is in Course 2, of GMS (or pmemory, as I sometimes call it.) GMS means Giordano Memorization System, and it’s what you learn at pmemory (The School of Phenomenal Memory).
Here’s how GMS works:
Course 1 is Basic Training. 12 Lessons and you learn how to make visual connections, do practice drills, and also learn your figurative codes (GMS can be called the language of memory, so you’re starting to learn the language in this very intensive course.)
Course 2 is Your First Database ~ you learn how to memorize all kinds of information in a database you keep in your head. For example, phone numbers, licenses, anecdotes, complicated signs, etc. Even how to memorize faces and names. Course 2 is Lessons 13-24.
Once you finish Lesson 23, Lesson 24 tests you on all you’ve memorized before. Then you write your testimonial on the pmemory forum, and you get access to the rest of the pmemory course – Lessons 25-60.
Course 3 is the Language Course (I think… this is what I’ve picked up from other student’s journals and reading the forum and website.) The language course uses Russian in the lessons but you can adapt it to use whichever language you’d like. Of course, I will be adapting it so I can apply it to French.
Now I think Course 4 goes into text memorization, which I am also interested in, and other kinds of information memorization, such as passwords.
Once I begin the language portion of GMS, I’ll start learning French. I have these at my disposal:
French in 3 Months book and CDs
French with Michel Thomas, beginner and advanced CDs
A Student French/English Dictionary
French flashcards
About 15 or so French movies
A book about French slang
A bunch of books about English people who live in France and have written about their experiences there
Suite Francaise, by Irina Nemirovsky ~ English version. I am thinking I can order a French version, maybe a French audio version also, and then also work on French that way
Additionally, there are many free resources for language learning online
I have also been reading about language learning from various websites.
I would like to learn French with pmemory since I do not want to have to waste time translating from English to French in my head. I’d like it to become reflexive or from mental images. While I like Michel Thomas, I find I can get through much of the CDs but the information does not stick. So I want to apply GMS along with Michel Thomas and the other resources. I will post here about my progress.
Incidentally I watched part of Panic Room in English and then in French and got nowhere. Except I could repeat “my room” in French. Only now I’ve forgotten it. Except my sounds like ma.
Fear not. One day I will be fluent in French.
