So how much vocabulary do you actually need to know before you can “get by” and actually converse in a foreign language? That depends on who you ask, as that tends to vary somewhat.

In his book, “Using Your Memory”, author Tony Buzan says that a mere 100 words comprise nearly 50% of the vocabulary used in every day conversational speech in most languages. Learning the equivalent of these words in a foreign language can help you to quickly develop essential vocabulary for everyday conversational use. But is this really enough?

Link Word Technique

Generally, you can function at the most basic level in a foreign language with a core vocabulary of around 1000 words according to Dr. Michael Gruneberg who formalized the “LinkWord” technique. He claims that, using this technique of linking a word in your own language to a word in the new language, you can acquire a core vocabulary in a foreign language in as little as 10 hours.

[ddet LinkWord Technique - More Info]
Linkword is a mnemonic system promoted by Michael Gruneberg since at least the early 1980′s for learning languages based on the similarity of the sounds of words. The process involves creating an easily visualized scene that will link the words together. One example is the Russian word for cow (корова, pronounced roughly karova): think and visualize “I ran my car over a cow.”

It has a long history of software versions in its native United Kingdom being available for the Sincalir, Acorn and BBC micro computers as well as a variety of audio and book editions over the years.

LinkWord Technique
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The LOCI Method

According to Cicero, the LOCI Method or Roman Room System is said to have originated in ancient Greece circa 500 B.C. When the building he was in collapsed, crushing all of the people inside beyond recognition, the only survivor, poet Simonides of Ceos identified the victims by name solely based on where they had been sitting at the dinner table. The technique was commonly used for centuries by Greek and Roman orators to give speeches without using notes.

[DDET LOCI Method - More Info]
The method of loci (plural of Latin locus for place or location), also called the memory palace, is a general designation for mnemonic techniques that rely on memorised spatial relationships to establish, order and recollect memorial content. The term is most often found in specialised works on psychology, neurobiology and memory, though it was used in the same general way at least as early as the first half of the nineteenth century in works on Rhetoric, Logic and Philosophy.

Method of LOCI[/DDET]

The Pimsleur Method

The Pimsleur Method folks check in at 2,500 words as a minimum core vocabulary to communicate fluently in a foreign language. This is much closer to what I’ve actually found in real-world practice to be an effective depth of vocabulary.

[ddet Pimsleur Method - More Info]
The Pimsleur language learning system is a language acquisition method developed by Paul Pimsleur. According to its website, the system is based on four main ideas: anticipation, graduated interval recall, core vocabulary, and organic learning. The Pimsleur method is an audio-based system, in which the listener constructs phrases or repeats from memory along with a recording. A series of audiobooks based on the Pimsleur method has been developed by publishing company Simon & Schuster. The system, as currently packaged by Simon & Schuster, is made up of multiple thirty-minute lessons, which are repeated until 80% comprehension is attained, at which point the user may advance to the next lesson. The Pimsleur website claims that because the lessons repeat themselves and add new material,they do not demand 100% mastery before moving on. Pimsleur courses focus on proficiency in speaking as well as reading proficiency.

Pimsleur language learning system
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Personally, I advocate a minimum core vocabulary in the range of 1500 to 2000 words. Sure you can “communicate” with much fewer words, as few as 500 depending on the context, but you could often sound “strained”, “artificial” or even “childish” in your speech constructions while trying to get your point across.

In addition, if you’re working in a skilled trade, vocation or profession, the minimum core vocabulary count could ramp up as much as another 300 to 500 words. So any time spent acquiring needed foreign language vocabulary is definitely time well spent. In the next article of this series we’ll consider a simple method you can use to start learning key vocabulary right away.

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