Phonetic Matching, Semanticized Phonetic Matching and Phono-Semantic Matching as Techniques in Keyword Selection

In foreign language vocabulary learning, the keyword method is among the most widely researched mnemonics and has been proved effective by numerous empirical studies. To use the keyword method, a keyword in the native language must be selected for the creation of an image or a sentence of the keyword “interacting” with the target word in the foreign language, thus facilitating retention and retrieval of the target word. In an attempt to contribute to successful application of the keyword method, this paper outlines three techniques in keyword selection, i.e., phonetic matching, semanticized phonetic matching, and phono-semantic matching, by mainly drawing on example pairs from Chinese and English. The phonetic and semantic links between keyword and target word pairs derived through each technique are analysed, and possible pitfalls are addressed as well.