Language Learning Series #12: Numbers

Due to the common use of numbers in everyday conversation, it is imperative that the language student must become familiar with counting and digits. Fortunately, in most languages numbers seem to the follow a particular pattern.  For example, Latin, the mother of all Romantic languages, numeric vocabulary follows a particular pattern.  Although the numbers one through ten are unique, 11 through 20 are depicted only by adding the suffix to the Latin word for “ten,” “decim.”  (e.g. unus=one, duo=two, tres=three; undecim=eleven, duodecim=twelve, tredecim=thirteen, and so forth.)

With such said, how much effort should the language student place on the study of numbers?  In most conversations, the student will not come across extraordinary values.  Nevertheless, it would be best that the student memorize the digits one through twenty, and memorize the values of the ten and one hundred powers.  Thankfully, the task of memorizing numbers is quite simple; if the student devotes two to three days upon numbers and counting, the vocabulary can easily be solidified in his memory.

The best way a student can familiarize himself with numbers is through everyday activities.  When practicing numbers, the student should count objects around him; any method is beneficial, but the key is to solidify the data into one brain.  Once the student can look at a number of objects and determine the quantity in the foreign language, then he is prepared to use numbers in everyday conversation.