Tschirhart's Phonetics and the Quest to Reduce Subvocalization
Lance Tschirhart, an American competitive memory athlete and mnemonist creatively sought to modify the Major System in order to reduce subvocalization. He believed this process of musing on the details of phonetics was worth ones pursuit and consideration. He argued that the less we subvocalize, the quicker our image recognition becomes and as a result we are able to increase our memorization speed in the Number and Card Disciplines.
So, what is subvocalization exactly? It may be defined as the faint movement of the lips, tongue and larynx that often resemble speech. It is when we see an image of a dog, and inaudibly comment in of our mind or under our breath, dog. However, there is a general consensus among world-class memory athletes that we should seek to reduce our subvocalization as much as possible.
It must be noted that we cannot completely eliminate subvocalization as scientific research demonstrates. Chuck Jorgensen, NASA scientist once observed:
“biological signals arise when reading or speaking to oneself with or without actual lip or facial movement. A person using the subvocal system thinks of phrases and talks to himself so quietly, it cannot be heard, but the tongue and vocal chords do receive speech signals from the brain.”
Although some mnemonists may use the language of elimination and propose that one should seek to simply see images from our number systems, I think it is more appropriate to use the term reduction since we cannot memorize without some form of subvocalization occurring. For this reason, Lance Tschirhart attempted to establish general principles for creating quality number systems that would enhance our image-recognition speed.
He believes there are five principles that one should consider following when constructing a number according to the Major System, namely, the use of: 1) One Syllable Images; 2) Consonant Blends, 3) Trochaic Images, 4) Same Digit Collapsing, and 5) Modified 2nd Position Digits. I will briefly explain each one and provide concrete examples.
One Syllable Images
If possible, one should seek to create one syllable images and by virtue of this brevity he argues that one may memorize at a quicker and more rhythmic pace. For example, 153 (SLiMe) is better than 153 (SoLoMon) and 759 (CLuB) should be preferred over 759 (CaLeB). Compare the sounds of the following word combinations and observe the differences of speed during subvocalization: SLIME-DIME vs. SOLOMON-DIME and CLEAT-CLUB vs. CALEB-CLUB. In the video below, notice how Prateek Yadav has a rhythmic pacing, almost as if he was memorizing to a metronome.
Consonant Blends
The preferred one syllable image type is that which contains consonant blends or consonant clusters which he argues increase one’s image recognition speed.
L-Blends: bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl
R-Blends: br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr
S and T-Blends: sc, sk, sm, sn, sp, st, sw, tw.
Three Letter Blends: spl, str, scr, str
SLoT (051) should be preferred over SaLaD (051) and SKaTe (071) over SoCKeT (071). However, it must be clarified that he would not assert that these are fixed rules but allows room for flexibility since one should also consider the quality of the image itself and not merely its phonetics. 1
Trochaic Images
If one is able to create quality one-syllable images due to challenging consonant combinations he believes one should seek to use trochaic images. Trochee may be defined as a “metrical foot consisting of an accented syllable followed by unaccented syllables.” Some examples of trochaic words that one may use include the following: CoFFee (788), DoVeTail (181), RiBBon (499), KeyBoaRd (794), etc.
Same Digit Collapsing
In order to reduce the amount of three syllable images one may collapse same digits that start at the beginning of a number. In the 3-Digit System (000-999) there are ten regions in which this occurs, namely: 001-009, 110-119, 220-229, 330-339, 440-449, 550-559, 660-669, 770-779, 880-889, and 990-999. One my collapse the first same digits and interpret 001 as 01, 002 as 02, 003 as 03 and so forth. As a result, one is now permitted to use one-syllable images such as SaSH (006) instead of SauSaGe (006).
However, what does one do when they encounter 221 (NNT) and 211 (NTT), would both digits collapse to be read as 21 (NT)? Tschirhart recognized this potential cause for confusion and thereby sought for reasonable solutions. He stressed that collapsing should occur only for same digits in the first position and not those in the second position. It is important to note that 22 in 221 is in the first position and the 11 in 211 is in the second position. So, 221 = NT and 211 = NTT, so one is able to distinguish between the two by using images such as 221 (NeT) and 211 (NuTTy).2
Modified 2nd Position Digits
There are certain regions within the 3-digit number system that are notoriously difficult to create images for according to the Major System, namely: 040-049 and 060-069. Consequently, Tschirhart slightly modified the phonetic rules for these sections so that 04 is read as SW instead of SR and 06 as STR instead of soft CH, G, J, and SH. He chose these particular consonant blends because there are more words with those letter-combinations so one may more easily complete their system and create one-syllable images. It is important to understand that these modifications only refer to digits that begin with 04 and 06, and not 14-94, and 24-94. So, the phonetics for 140 = TRS, not T-W-S, and 164 = T-CH-S, and not TSTR-S.3
Conclusion
In conclusion, Tschirhart believes that the quality of phonetics is vitally important in the construction of number systems, so much so that these principles are not mere preferences but essential to his new and unpublished card system.4 He argues that reducing the syllable count of images will ultimately reduce subvocalization and thereby allow us to have better pacing, and increase our image-recognition speed. These modifications may seem insignificant, but he sees power in the accumulation of these small changes. In the field of memory sports, the more challenging competition becomes, a millisecond faster in a discipline could mean the difference between a world record or a loss.
LEAVE A COMMENT | DISCUSSON QUESTIONS
What phonetic system do you use?
What are your thoughts on Tschirhart’s phonetics? In your opinion, what are some of the pros and cons?
Have you ever tried modifying a traditional phonetic system? If so, what changes have you made and why?
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When creating a 3 digit number system one should also consider the percentage of persons and objects distributed within their system. Most memory athletes have 10% persons and 90% objects. Katie Kermode once stated, “I reduced my proportion of people to around 10%, which seemed to work better” (AOM Forum). Some have a higher percentage of persons such as Braden Adams and Don Michael Vickers (40-50%). So, one may have to overlook some phonetic principles for sake of a better image-type distribution within their system.
Another concern may be if one is transitioning from a 2 digit to a 3 digit system: If one had 27 (NiCK) in their 2 digit system should one use 227 (NiCK) in their 3 digit system? I have personally experimented with this and it did not cause trouble or confusion by using the same numbers from my 2 digit system for the same digit collapsing regions.
Many memory athletes have adopted this phonetic system and there have not been reports on the difficulty of modifying 04 and 06 to SW and STR. They have been able to comfortably distinguish between 04 as SW instead of S-R, and 06 as STR instead of S-CH for the sections indicated.
He argues that his new card system is much better than the Shadow System due to the accumulation of improvements in how suits, digits, and face cards are read and its modified phonetics. I plan on publishing an article explaining his new system in the near future.