TOTT

I've been playing flashcards lately.  I know from experience that the flashcard method of learning is quite effective, based as it is on repetition and the agonies of thinking before the gradual process of reinforcement hits the message home. Obviously this is a good method for language learning - but it's also a good brain training tool for your own powers of description and expanding your word power more generally.

Today I am in the process of facing 450 cards of fairly difficult words. These aren't words that I'd be adding to any poetry lists - but instead they are words that help the power of everyday writing and speaking - the helpful avoidance of tip of the tongue syndrome - a debilitating and frustrating condition that we are all heir to; perhaps some more than most. Although not serious, there are serious connotations associated with the condition anomic aphsia. The condition which is suggestive of tip of the tongue condition removes any sense of frivolity associated with Tip of the Tongue as its the root cause tends to be serious such as head injury, stroke or age related psychological illnesses such as dementia.  We may laugh at tip of the tongue, but no-one laughs at anomic aphsia. But since I don't believe what I have is serious I'll will treat it as a minor inconvenience that might be ameliorated by flash cards and brain exercises.

For me it's the utter frustration at non instant retrieval - which can occur at anytime though tends towards greater prevalence when I am stressed or nervous. Doing these flash card tests aren't going to improve my mental condition when most afflicted by tip of the tongue condition - but the mental exercises and reinforcement processing of this of brain training concept might make episodes less prevalent.

As far as the flash carding exercise is concerned, interesting words are flowing through.  The need to think through as creative and illustrative a definition as possible once you have settled on a sense of what the word means, at least in part as many words have multiple meanings,  makes the brain work hard. Its a good little work out. Flamboyant Fervent Foible and Foist have all just come out: to show off ostentatiously, intensely fervid or zealous, an individual trait or slight frailty in character, and to thrust without debate or to put in slyly or stealthily.  All 'f' words which demonstrates that they are flying out alphabetically or what one might say frenetically: without recourse to the consideration of thinking time.