For those interested in trying new methods for memorizing declensions and verb forms, I have written up a couple of guides to using the Method of Loci for memorising the declensions and also the verb forms, which are linked from my FaQ for latinum, which you can find here:
If you do try these, and they work for you, let me know! Also, any suggestions you’ve come up with for memorisation tricks, useful word associations, also. If they seem useful, I’ll incorporate them.
Interesting. Although I must say that the method of loci does not seem to work well for me personally. By the way, I have posted a version of Diederich’s list with definitions:
Exempli gratia; sit natura inquisita, memoria, sive excitans et adjuvans memoriam. Instantiae constitutivae sunt; ordo, sive distribution, quae manifesto juvat memoriam. Item loci in memoria artificiali; qui aut possunt esse loci secundum proprium sensum, veluti janua, angulus, fenestra, et similia; aut possunt esse personae familiars et notae; aut possunt esse quidvis ad placitum ( modo in ordine certo ponantur) veluti animalia, herbae; etiam verba, literae, characters, personae historicae, et caetera; licet nonnulla ex his magis apta sint et commode, alia minus. Hujusmodi autem loci memoriam insigniter juvant, eamque longe supra vires naturals exaltant. Item carmina facilius haerent, et discuntur memoriter, quam prosa. Atque ex isto manipulo trium instantiarum, videlicet ordinis, locorum artificialis memoriae, et versuum, constituitur species una auxilii ad memoriam.
Pg 124 Novum Organum Liber II, London ,1824 Francis Bacon Scripsit.
I recommend singing Latin songs. Songs are easy to memorize and fun to perform. There are excellent collections of Latin lyrics and songs from the Carmina Burana, and some of the original tunes are beautiful. Orff’s versions might be better for some learners, I love singing his setting of the Archpoet’s “Aestuans interius” at the top of my lungs while walking in the country.
The birds seem to like it.
Of course you could sing the Latin versions of Elvis’s tunes too. It all comes down to vocabulary.
Wow. That was certainly a fun mental exercise.