The Keyimage Method of Learning Sound-Symbol Correspondences: A Case Study of Learning Written Khmer

• Main Author: Elizabeth Lavolette
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages 2009-01-01
• Series: Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages
• Subjects: Keyimage; Learning; Sound-Symbol; Correspondences; Khmer course; mnemonic; strategy
• Online Access: http://www.ncolctl.org/files/The-keyimage-method-of-learning-sound-symbol-correspondances.pdf

I documented my strategies for learning sound-symbol correspondences during a Khmer course. I used a mnemonic strategy that I call the keyimage method. In this method, a character evokes an image (the keyimage), which evokes the corresponding sound. For example, the keyimage for the character 2 could be a swan with its head tucked in. This evokes the sound "kaw" that a swan makes, which sounds similar to the Khmer sound corresponding to 2. The method has some similarities to the keyword method. Considering the results of keyword studies, I hypothesize that the keyimage method is more effective than rote learning and that peer-generated keyimages are more effective than researcher- or teacher-generated keyimages, which are more effective than learner-generated ones. In Dr. Andrew Cohen's plenary presentation at the Hawaii TESOL 2007 conference, he mentioned that more case studies are needed on learning strategies (LSs). One reason to study LSs is that what learners do with input to produce output is unclear, and knowing what strategies learners use may help us understand that process (Dornyei, 2005, p. 170). Hopefully, we can use that knowledge to improve language learning, perhaps by teaching learners to use the strategies that we find. With that in mind, I have examined the LSs that I used in studying Khmer as a foreign language, focusing on learning the syllabic alphabet.