mnemonics–something intended to assist the memory, as a verse or formula. from the Greek mnemonikos–of, relating to memory.
First of all, let me say that any word that begins with the two-consonant sequence mn is cooler-than-cool.
As my children have grown up, they have learned a number of mnemonic devices that I was not privileged to have. Now, I may know more than I can bring to mind at the moment, but the one that comes to mind is the music staff: Every Good Boy Does Fine, or its (in my opinion) better version Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. The spaces on the music staff, of course, were filled with F.A.C.E. I also learned the four directions that way: NEWS-north, east, west, and south.
I was required to memorize the planets. I was surprised to learn, in the 80′s, that there was a mnemonic for the solar system: My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas. Of course, poor Pluto has been shunned, and now our Very Excellent Mother serves us Nachos. Nachos were not around when I was in grade school, and pizza was something made only by my Italian neighbor, or in a box by Chef Boy-ar-dee. (Pizza Hut did not arrive in my town until I was a senior in high school.)
The 90′s brought to my attention Mr. Roy G. Biv, the inventor, it seems, of the rainbow (or the color spectrum, as it was known in science). Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-Indigo-Violet. Hmmm. a tad easier than trying to picture it in my mind.
Nowadays, I hear about another man, Mr.Clif Brohn. He is the guy who decided which chemical elements should exist as a 2-atom molecule in their default setting: Cl, I, F, Br, O, H, and N (that is Chlorine, Iodine, Fluorine, Bromine, Oxygen, Hydrogen, and Nitrogen.) Oh, how much easier chemistry would have been, if I and Mr. Brohn had been introduced!
Of course, we make mnemonics up for ourselves, as well. After all, they are designed to be "helps" for our memory. In the 90′s, Charming and I told everybody our Yuppie Names were Kip and Babs. When it came time to decide an email address, that came to mind. When I typed it out, *kipnbabs*, I noticed that those could be the initials for most of our family. Add a *jr* to the mix, and there you had it, so that became our first family email address.
Mnemonics don’t have to be a word, however. In sixth grade, Violet learned both the Presidents of the United States, and the states and capitals, using a song made up by her teacher, to the tune of a mixed up Jeopardy and Wizard of Oz medley. She taught us the president’s song, which I can still sing to you today (only it stopped with Ronnie Reagan, so I have to add some to the end). I only wish I had learned the States song.
And how many scriptures do you know, because they have been put to music? I’m sure you know dozens, possibly. Here is one you don’t know. Charming put this verse to music to prove that he could–it is a verse that may be difficult to memorize outside of music:
"He died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again."
See? I wrote that lickety-split from memory, but I confess, I sang the song while I typed it.
Why don’t you try to recall a few of those verses-set-to-music today?
Mnemonics. Beautiful things. Just wish I had known a few more in grade school…
barbieheart