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{{Short description|Mnemonic technique for memorizing long numbers}}
The '''Major System''' (also called '''phonetic system''' or '''phonetic mnemonic system''') is a famous ] technique used to aid in memorizing numbers. It is over 300 years old and was introduced by ] and later developed by ]. It works by converting numbers into words. The words can then be remembered more easily, especially when using other techniques such as exaggerations of concepts involving multiple senses (vision, sound, smell).
The '''major system''' (also called the '''phonetic number system''', '''phonetic mnemonic system''', or '''Hérigone's mnemonic system''') is a ] technique used to help in memorizing numbers.


The system works by converting numbers into ]s, then into words by adding ]. The system works on the principle that images can be remembered more easily than numbers.
Each digit is mapped onto a number of consonants. Vowels and the consonants ''w,h,'' and ''y'' are ignored and can be used as 'fillers' to make up sensible words from the resulting consonant sequences. The mapping is:


One notable explanation of this system was given in ]'s book ''The First Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions'' (just ''Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions'' in the UK edition), which has since been republished in ''The New Martin Gardner Mathematical Library'' as ''Hexaflexagons, Probability Paradoxes, and the Tower of Hanoi''. In this, Gardner traces the history of the system back to similar systems of ] and ] with uses by ] and ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gardner |first1=Martin |title=Hexaflexagons, Probability Paradoxes, and the Tower of Hanoi |date=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-75615-0 |pages=116–122}}</ref>
: 0: s,z
: 1: d,t,th
: 2: n,ing
: 3: m
: 4: r
: 5: l
: 6: j,sh,ch,zh (like the s in vision)
: 7: k,hard g
: 8: f,v
: 9: b,p


==The system==
The mapping is ], so it is the sounds that matter, not the spelling. Each digit maps to a set of sounds with similar mouth and tongue positions. Therefore a word like ''action'' would encode the number 762, not 712; and ''ghost'' would be 701, whereas because the ''gh'' in ''enough'' is pronounced like an ''f'' - the word ''enough'' encodes the number 28.
Each numeral is associated with one or more consonants. The link is to the sound, not the letter. (For example, the letters C in "cat", "Cynthia", and "cello" each have different values in the system – 7, 0, and 6, respectively.) Vowels, ] and the consonant /h/ are ignored. These can be used as "fillers" to make sensible words from the resulting consonant sequences. A standard mapping<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hale-Evans|first1=Ron|title=Mind Performance Hacks|date=February 2006|publisher=O'Reilly|location=Sebastopol, CA|isbn=0-596-10153-8|page=|edition=1|ref=Hale-Evans|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/mindperformanceh00hale/page/14}}</ref> is:


{| class="wikitable"
Example: to remember the year in which the ] in ] was opened (]), we first perform the mapping:
|-
! Numeral || ] (]) || ] || Mnemonic and remarks
|-
|0 ||/s/, /z/ ||''s'', soft ''c'', ''z'', ''x'' (in ''xylophone'')||''Zero'' begins with ''z'' (and /z/). Upper case ''S'' and ''Z'', as well as lower case ''s'' and ''z'', have ''zero'' vertical strokes each, as with the numeral ''0''. The alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ form a ].
|-
|1 ||/t/, /d/, /θ/, /ð/ ||''t'', ''d'', ''th'' (both in ''thing'' and ''this'')||Upper case ''T'' and ''D'', as well as lower case ''t'' and ''d'' have ''one'' vertical stroke each, as with the numeral ''1''. The alveolar stops /t/ and /d/ form a voiceless and voiced pair, as do the similar-sounding dental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/, though some variant systems may omit the latter pair.
|-
|2 ||/n/ ||''n'' ||Upper case ''N'' and lower case ''n'' each have ''two'' vertical strokes and ''two'' points on the ].
|-
|3 ||/m/ ||''m'' ||Lower case ''m'' has ''three'' vertical strokes. Both upper case ''M'' and lower case ''m'' each have ''three'' points on the baseline and look like the numeral ''3'' on its side.
|-
|4 ||/r/ ||''r'', ''l'' (''as sounded in'' ''colonel'') ||''Four'' ends with ''r'' (and /r/ in rhotic accents).
|-
|5 ||/l/ ||''l'' ||''L'' is the ] for ''5''0. Among the ''five'' digits of one's ''l''eft hand, the thumb and index fingers also form an ''L''.
|-
|6 ||/tʃ/, /dʒ/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/ ||''ch'' (in ''cheese'' and ''chef''), ''j'', soft ''g'', ''sh'', ''c'' (''as sounded in cello'' and ''special''), ''cz'' (''as sounded in'' ''Czech''), ''s'' (''as sounded in'' ''tissue'' and ''vision''), ''sc'' (''as sounded in'' ''fascist''), ''sch'' (''as sounded in'' ''schwa'' and ''eschew''), ''t'' (''as sounded in'' ''ration'' and ''equation''), ''tsch'' (in ''putsch''), ''z'' (in ''seizure'') ||Upper case ''G'' looks like the numeral ''6'' and lower case ''g'' looks like the numeral ''6'' rotated 180°. Lower case ] ''j'' tends to have a lower loop, like the numeral ''6''. In some ] fonts, upper case ''CH'', ''SH'' and ''ZH'' each have ''six'' serifs. The postalveolar affricates /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ form a voiceless and voiced pair, as do the similar-sounding postalveolar fricatives /ʃ/ and /ʒ/. ''CH''ur''ch'' has six letters.
|-
|7 ||/k/, /ɡ/ ||''k'', hard ''c'', ''q'', hard ''g, ch (as sounded in loch),'' ||Both upper case ''K'' and lower case ''k'' look like two small ''7''s on their sides. In some fonts, the lower-right part of the upper case ''G'' looks like a ''7''. ''G'' is also the 7th letter of the alphabet. The velar stops /k/ and /ɡ/ form a voiceless and voiced pair.
|-
|8 ||/f/, /v/ ||''f'', ''ph'' (in ''phone''), ''v, gh (as sounded in laugh)'' ||Lower case script ''f'', which tends to have an upper and lower loop, looks like a ''f''igure-''8''. The labiodental fricatives /f/ and /v/ form a voiceless and voiced pair.
|-
|9 ||/p/, /b/ ||''p'', ''b''||Upper case ''P'' and lower case ''p'' look like the numeral ''9'' flipped horizontally. Lower case ''b'' looks like the numeral ''9'' turned 180°. The labial stops /p/ and /b/ form a voiceless and voiced pair.
|-
|Unassigned ||/h/, /j/, /w/, /x/, ] ||''h'', ''y'', ''w'', ''a'', ''e'', ''i'', ''o'', ''u'', ]s, ''ch'' (in ''chutzpah''), ''j'' (in ''Hallelujah'' and ''jalapeno''), ''ll'' (in ''tortilla'') ||] sounds, ]s (/j/ and /w/) and /h/ do not correspond to any number. They can appear anywhere in a word without changing its number value.
|-
|(2, 27 or 7) ||/ŋ/ ||''ng'', ''n'' before ''k'', hard ''c'', ''q'', hard ''g'' or ''x''||Variant systems differ about whether /ŋ/ should encode ''2'' and classified together with /n/, ''7'' and classified together with /k/ and /ɡ/ or even ''27'' (e.g. ''ring'' could be ''42'', ''47'' or ''427''). When a /k/ and /ɡ/ is pronounced separately after the /ŋ/, variant systems that chose /ŋ/ to be ''27'' also disagree if an extra ''7'' should be written (e.g. ''finger'' could be ''8274'' or ''82774'', or if /ŋ/ is chosen to be ''7'', ''8774'').
|}


The groups of similar sounds and the rules for applying the mappings are almost always fixed, but other hooks and mappings can be used as long as the person using the system can remember them and apply them consistently.
* 1 -> d,t,th
* 8 -> f,v
* 5 -> l
* 6 -> j,sh,ch,zh


Each numeral maps to a set of similar sounds with similar mouth and tongue positions. The link is ], that is to say, it is the consonant sounds that matter, not the spelling. Therefore, a word like ''action'' would encode the number ''762'' (/k/-/ʃ/-/n/), not ''712'' (''k''-''t''-''n''). Double letters are disregarded when not pronounced separately, e.g. ''muddy'' encodes ''31'' (/m/-/d/), not ''311'', but ''midday'' encodes ''311'' (/m/-/d/-/d/) while ''accept'' encodes ''7091'' (/k/-/s/-/p/-/t/) since the ''d''s and ''c''s are pronounced separately. ''x'' encodes ''70'' when pronounced as /ks/ or /gz/ (e.g. in ''fax'' and ''exam'') and ''76'' when pronounced /kʃ/ or /gʒ/ (e.g. in ''anxious'' or ''luxury''); ''z'' encodes ''10'' when pronounced /ts/ (e.g. in ''pizza''). In ''ghost'' (''701'', /ɡ/-/s/-/t/) and ''enough'' (''28'', /n/-/f/), ''gh'' is being encoded by different numerals. Usually, a ] is assumed, e.g. ''fear'' would encode ''84'' (/f/-/r/) rather than ''8'' (/f/).
So we can make up '''''d'''a'''ff'''y '''l'''o'''dg'''e'', and we think of the Portrait Gallery as a lodge in which ] resides (the more silly the image, the easier it is to recall).


Often the mapping is compact. ''Hindquarters'', for example, translates unambiguously to ''2174140'' (/n/-/d/-/k/-/r/-/t/-/r/-/z/), which amounts to a twelve-letter word encoded by seven digits in seven letters, and can be easily visualized.
Going the other way, we can reverse the mapping and get the year. This works also very well with phone numbers: here you would typically come up with multiple words which you need to memorise in a sequence.


Each numeral maps to a set of similar sounds with similar mouth and tongue positions.
For most people, it is easier to remember an image or story incorporating words than it is to remember strings of digits. For example, it may be easier to remember ''moderately pendulum'' than to directly memorize the first 10 digits of ] (3.141592653) . "It's ''moderately'' difficult to make a ''pendulum'' out of an apple pie", a vivid image of this sentence might be remembered more easily than directly memorizing the number.
For most people it would be easier to remember ''3.1415927'' (an approximation of the mathematical constant ]) as:
: ''meteor'' (''314'', /m/-/t/-/r/)
: ''tail'' (''15'', /t/-/l/)
: ''pink'' (''927'', /p/-/ŋ/-/k/, and taking /ŋ/ to be ''2'')


Short term visual memory of imagined scenes allows large numbers of digits to be memorized with ease. Longer-term memory may require the formulation of more object-related mnemonics with greater logical connection, perhaps forming grammatical sentences that apply to the matter rather than just strings of images.
The Major System isn't always the best way to remember a number. The first 16 digits of '']'' are 2.718281828459045. If you invented a new way to fold a flag so that it would open up in the shape of an ''e'', could you patent that? "''Negative:'' it isn't ''innovative'' to ''unfurl bizarrely'' as an ''e''" could be used to memorize the first 16 digits of ''e''. On the other hand, some people might find it easier to remember them directly by grouping them this way:
2.7 the standard approximation of ''e''
1828 a year
1828 the same year again
45 90 45 cut a square in half to get a triangle with these angles


The system can be employed with phone numbers. One would typically make up multiple words, preferably a sentence, or an ordered sequence of images featuring the owner of the number.
The "best" technique depends on the person and the situation, but the Major System can be a helpful tool in many cases.


The Major System is sometimes combined with a ] for remembering lists. The Major System can be combined with a ] for remembering lists, and is sometimes used also as a method of generating the pegs. It can also be combined with other memory techniques such as rhyming, substitute words, or the ]. Repetition and concentration using the ordinary memory is still required.


It is possible to use a computer to automatically translate the number into a set of words. One can then pick the best of several alternatives. Such programs include "Numzi"<ref></ref> "Rememberg"<ref></ref> "Fonbee",<ref></ref> the ] "2Know",<ref></ref> and the website "pinfruit".<ref></ref>
==Memorizing lottery numbers==


===Example words===
One rather surprising variant of the major system is its utility for memorizing ] numbers, facts, and world events. What makes the system especially useful in this regard is the fact that in most State run ] type games the order that the numbers are drawn does not matter. For example on ], ], right after the destruction of ] the numbers 5-26-30-14-33 and mega 5 came up on the ] game. Using the Major System, it is easy to see that the phrase "a ''launch mystery'', ''my'' oh ''my'' - oh ''well''" translates into the sequence 5263014335 which uniquely partitions into the indicated draw set. Since the draw order does not matter, one could just as well have imagine saying to a parent: "''Well mom'', I ''enjoy dreams''." which yields upon translation and partitioning into a set of numbers the same set, but in a different order, i.e., 5-33-26-14-30 with the same mega number 5.
Some of these example words may belong to more than one word category.


{| class="wikitable"
With practice it becomes straightforward to link news events, to lists of numbers, to specific winning combinations. Consider for example the ] missing persons case. If the phrase "''my love may be near the bay''" is translated using the Major System - then it yields the sequence 3-5-8-39-24 with mega 19, which was actually drawn on March 5, 2003 - about the time that the ] case was officially classified a ]. Likewise such phrases "''he told me he did it''!" and "''he told me I would die too''!", and they offered him "''a deal to have to do time''?, but he said ''oh no no''!" all yield information about the June 28, 2003 draw when 1-5-11-13-18 and 22 came on the California Super Lotto game - as does "''die - he will die die die - he might have no one''."
|+ 1-digit pegs
! || 0 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9
|-
! ]
| ''hose'' || ''hat'' || ''hen'' || ''home'' || ''arrow'' || ''whale'' || ''shoe'' || ''cow'' || ''hoof'' || ''pie''
|-
! ]
| ''sew'' || ''hate'' || ''know'' || ''aim'' || ''row'' || ''heal'' || ''chew'' || ''hook'' || ''view'' || ''buy''
|-
! ]
| ''easy'' || ''hot'' || ''new'' || ''yummy'' || ''hairy'' || ''oily'' || ''itchy'' || ''gay'' || ''heavy'' || ''happy''
|}


{| class="wikitable"
<B>See also: ]</B>
|+ 2-digit pegs
! || 00 || 01 || 02 || 03 || 04 || 05 || 06 || 07 || 08 || 09
|-
! noun
| ''sauce'' || ''seed'' || ''sun'' || ''sumo'' || ''sierra'' || ''soil'' || ''sewage'' || ''sky'' || ''sofa'' || ''soap''
|-
! verb
| ''assess'' || ''swat'' || ''assign'' || ''assume'' || ''sorrow'' || ''sell'' || ''switch'' || ''soak'' || ''save'' || ''sob''
|-
! adjective
| ''sissy'' || ''sad'' || ''snowy'' || ''awesome'' || ''sorry'' || ''slow'' || ''swishy'' || ''sick'' || ''savvy'' || ''sappy''
|-
! || 10 || 11 || 12 || 13 || 14 || 15 || 16 || 17 || 18 || 19
|-
! noun
| ''daisy'' || ''tattoo'' || ''tuna'' || ''dome'' || ''diary'' || ''tail'' || ''dish'' || ''dog'' || ''dove'' || ''tuba''
|-
! verb
| ''tease'' || ''edit'' || ''widen'' || ''time'' || ''draw'' || ''tell'' || ''teach'' || ''take'' || ''defy'' || ''type''
|-
! adjective
| ''dizzy'' || ''tight'' || ''wooden'' || ''tame'' || ''dry'' || ''tall'' || ''whitish'' || ''thick'' || ''deaf'' || ''deep''
|-
! || 20 || 21 || 22 || 23 || 24 || 25 || 26 || 27 || 28 || 29
|-
! noun
| ''nose'' || ''net'' || ''onion'' || ''enemy'' || ''winery'' || ''nail'' || ''nacho'' || ''neck'' || ''knife'' || ''honeybee''
|-
! verb
| ''ionize'' || ''unite'' || ''nanny''{{ref|b|}} || ''name'' || ''honour''{{ref|a|}} || ''inhale'' || ''enjoy'' || ''knock'' || ''envy'' || ''nab''
|-
! adjective
| ''noisy'' || ''neat'' || ''neon'' || '' numb'' || ''narrow'' || ''annual'' || ''nudgy'' || ''naggy'' || ''naïve'' || ''wannabe''
|-
! || 30 || 31 || 32 || 33 || 34 || 35 || 36 || 37 || 38 || 39
|-
! noun
| ''mouse'' || ''meadow'' || ''moon'' || ''mummy'' || ''emery'' || ''mole'' || ''match'' || ''mug'' || ''movie'' || ''map''
|-
! verb
| ''amuse'' || ''meet'' || ''mine'' || ''mime'' || ''marry'' || ''mail'' || ''mash'' || ''mock'' || ''move'' || ''mop''
|-
! adjective
| ''messy'' || ''mute'' || ''mean'' || ''mum''{{ref|c|}} || ''merry'' || ''male'' || ''mushy'' || ''mucky'' || ''mauve'' || ''wimpy''
|-
! || 40 || 41 || 42 || 43 || 44 || 45 || 46 || 47 || 48 || 49
|-
! noun
| ''rice'' || ''road'' || ''rain'' || ''rum'' || ''aurora'' || ''railway'' || ''roach'' || ''rag'' || ''roof'' || ''rope''
|-
! verb
| ''erase'' || ''read'' || ''ruin'' || ''ram'' || ''rear''{{ref|a|}} || ''rule'' || ''reach'' || ''rake'' || ''arrive'' || ''wrap''
|-
! adjective
| ''rosy'' || ''ready'' || ''runny'' || ''haram'' || ''rare''{{ref|a|}} || ''royal'' || ''rich'' || ''rocky'' || ''rough'' || ''ripe''
|-
! || 50 || 51 || 52 || 53 || 54 || 55 || 56 || 57 || 58 || 59
|-
! noun
| ''louse'' || ''lady'' || ''lion'' || ''lime'' || ''lorry'' || ''lily'' || ''leech'' || ''leg'' || ''lava'' || ''lip''
|-
! verb
| ''lose'' || ''let'' || ''align'' || ''loom'' || ''lure''{{ref|a|}} || ''lull'' || ''latch'' || ''lick'' || ''love'' || ''help''
|-
! adjective
| ''lazy'' || ''elite'' || ''alien'' || ''lame'' || ''leery'' || ''loyal'' || ''lush'' || ''lucky'' || ''leafy'' || ''loopy''
|-
! || 60 || 61 || 62 || 63 || 64 || 65 || 66 || 67 || 68 || 69
|-
! noun
| ''cheese'' || ''cheetah'' || ''chin'' || ''gem'' || ''shrew'' || ''chilli'' || ''cha-cha'' || ''chick'' || ''chef'' || ''jeep''
|-
! verb
| ''chase'' || ''cheat'' || ''chain'' || ''jam'' || ''jury'' || ''chill'' || ''judge'' || ''check'' || ''achieve'' || ''chop''
|-
! adjective
| ''choosy'' || ''chatty'' || ''shiny'' || ''sham'' || ''cherry'' || ''jolly'' || ''Jewish'' || ''shaky'' || ''chief'' || ''cheap''
|-
! || 70 || 71 || 72 || 73 || 74 || 75 || 76 || 77 || 78 || 79
|-
! noun
| ''goose'' || ''cat'' || ''coin'' || ''game'' || ''crow'' || ''clay'' || ''cage'' || ''cake'' || ''cave'' || ''cube''
|-
! verb
| ''kiss'' || ''quote'' || ''weaken'' || ''comb'' || ''carry'' || ''kill'' || ''coach'' || ''cook'' || ''give'' || ''copy''
|-
! adjective
| ''cosy'' || ''good'' || ''keen'' || ''gummy'' || ''grey'' || ''cool'' || ''catchy'' || ''quick'' || ''goofy'' || ''agape''{{ref|d|}}
|-
! || 80 || 81 || 82 || 83 || 84 || 85 || 86 || 87 || 88 || 89
|-
! noun
| ''vase'' || ''video'' || ''fan'' || ''ovum'' || ''fairy'' || ''fool'' || ''veggie'' || ''fig'' || ''fife ''{{ref|e|}}|| ''vibe''
|-
! verb
| ''fuse'' || ''fight'' || ''fine'' || ''fume'' || ''fry'' || ''fly'' || ''fetch'' || ''fake'' || ''viva ''{{ref|f|}}|| ''fob''{{ref|g|}}
|-
! adjective
| ''fussy'' || ''fat'' || ''funny'' || ''foamy'' || ''furry'' || ''foul'' || ''fishy'' || ''foggy'' || ''fave'' || ''fab''
|-
! || 90 || 91 || 92 || 93 || 94 || 95 || 96 || 97 || 98 || 99
|-
! noun
| ''boss'' || ''bead'' || ''pony'' || ''puma'' || ''berry'' || ''bell'' || ''pouch'' || ''bike'' || ''beef'' || ''pipe''
|-
! verb
| ''oppose'' || ''bite'' || ''ban'' || ''bomb'' || ''bury'' || ''peel'' || ''patch'' || ''poke'' || ''pave'' || ''pop''
|-
! adjective
| ''busy'' || ''bad'' || ''bony'' || ''balmy'' || ''pro'' || ''blue'' || ''bushy'' || ''back'' || ''puffy'' || ''baby''
|}


{{refbegin}}
==Human Character System==
* {{note|a|a}} Assumes a ]
* {{note|b|b}} ''nanny'' (verb): to be overprotective towards<ref>{{cite web|title=Nanny |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nanny?s=ts |access-date=2015-06-10}}</ref>
* {{note|c|c}} ''mum'' (adjective): silent; not saying a word<ref>{{cite web|title=Mum |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mum?s=t |access-date=2015-06-10}}</ref>
* {{note|d|d}} ''agape'' (adjective): with the mouth wide open, as in wonder, surprise, or eagerness<ref>{{cite web |title=Agape |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/agape?s=t |access-date=2015-06-10}}</ref>
* {{note|e|e}} ''fife'' (noun): a high-pitched transverse flute used commonly in military and marching musical groups<ref>{{cite web |title=Fife |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fife?s=t |access-date=2015-06-10}}</ref>
* {{note|f|f}} ''viva'' (verb): to examine orally<ref>{{cite web |title=Viva |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/viva?s=t |access-date=2015-06-10}}</ref>
* {{note|g|g}} ''fob'' (verb), archaic: to cheat; deceive<ref>{{cite web |title=Fob |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fob?s=t |access-date=2015-06-10}}</ref>
{{refend}}


==History==
One variant of the Major System is the Human Character System. In brief: number are encoded into images of Human Characters. For example, the British Prime Minister, that lives in no.10 Downing Street, could represent the number '10', whereever and whenever you see this number.
]
]
]
]
A different memory system, the ], was taught to schoolchildren for centuries, at least until 1584, "when ] reformers declared it unholy for encouraging bizarre and irreverent images."<ref>Brown, Derren (2006), ''Tricks of the Mind'', Transworld Publishers, {{ISBN|978-1-905026-26-5}}.</ref> The same objection can be made over the major system, with or without the method of loci. Mental images may be easier to remember if they are insulting, violent, or obscene (see ]).


] (1580–1643) devised the earliest version of the major system and published it in 1834. The system was further developed by ] (pseudonym Stanislaus Mink von Weunsshein and published in 1648.<ref>Buzzan, Tony, 1989. Use Your Perfect Memory, Third Edition, Plume. Cited in Hale-Evans</ref> It was later elaborated upon by other users. In 1730, ] set forth a complicated system that used both consonants and vowels to represent the digits. In 1808 ] introduced the improvement of representing the digits by consonants (but reversed the values of 8 and 9 compared to those listed above).
The first records of the Human Character System appeared in a gambling book relating to memorizing cards: GBC PRESS, Las Vegas book "Perfecting your card memory" by ] in 1965.


In 1825 ] published the first known version of the major system in its modern form.<ref></ref>
This is used by a known and banned Blackjack card counter O'Brien, who used to visit the Las Vegas bookstores often, to discover the latest card counting methods. Later O'Brien decided to use the system to memorize cards and numbers, because his blackjack days abrubtly came to an end, after being detected by the Las Vegas security system. ] {Dominic never said he invented it - indeed, he admitted that he thought he had, but he was predated by several millenia}. Edwards would then be responsible for the system, not O'Brien.


In 1843, ] (1817–1873) published a mnemonics textbook on a method similar to Paris' and traveled throughout Germany promoting it.
The system uses images of well known people rather than words. Numbers are coded into images. The system is based on the idea that information about people is better remembered than other information. The Dominic System requires you know a lot of people with different initials {it simply requires you to be able to link double digits to a person or memorable character}.


In 1844 ] (1808–1847) delivered a series of lectures introducing his mnemonic system which was based on Aimé Paris' version. The lectures drew some of the largest crowds ever assembled to hear lectures of a "scientific" nature up to that time. This series of lectures was later published as ''Phreno-Mnemotechny or The Art of Memory'' in 1845 and his system received wide acclaim. According to Gouraud, ] indicated that a discussion on Hebrew linguistics in ]'s ''Institutionum chronotogicarum libri duo, una cum totidem arithmetices chronologicæ libellis'' (London, 1669) inspired him to create his system of mnemotechniques which later evolved in to the major system.<ref>{{cite book|title=Phreno-mnemotechny: Or, The Art of Memory |publisher=Wiley and Putnam |year=1845 | url=https://archive.org/details/phrenomnemotech00gougoog |quote=Beveridge. | first= Francis| last=Fauvel-Gouraud |pages=–62}}</ref>


In the 1880s Marcus Dwight Larrowe, alias Silas Holmes, was teaching memory courses in the United States based on the Major System using a third alias Dr. Antoine Loisette. Because he was charging inordinate sums of money for a system which had obviously existed before, George S. Fellows published ''"Loisette" exposed'' (1888)<ref>{{cite book |last = Fellows |first = George S. |title = "Loisette" exposed, together with Loisette's Complete System of Physiological Memory. |publisher = G.S. Fellows & Co.
The first step to using this system is to map the numbers 00 through 99. One initial parse should be spent finding obvious number\famous people associations, e.g. 007 (07) for James Bond and 23 for Michael Jordon. Now, using a Magor System mapping, come up with famous people with initials (or similar sounds e.g. OD -> Odie from Garfield comics) for all remaining numbers. Hence forth each person is refered to as an actor in that they will be acting in your mind; their real life professions are irrelevant and they need a unique action. Break the number to be encoded into pairs and alternate the encoding as you parse through between actor and action and use the classic principals of memory to create memorable images.
|year = 1888 |url= https://archive.org/details/loisetteexposed01larrgoog/page/n9/mode/2up }}</ref> and included all the material of Larrowe's course which he determined not to be under copyright. The incident was notable enough to gain coverage by way of a book review in the journal ''Science''.<ref>{{cite journal|date= 1888-07-20 |title= Book review: "Loisette" exposed, together with Loisette's Complete System of Physiological Memory. By G. S. FELLOWS. New York, The Author. 8‡ 25 cents |journal= Science |volume= ns-12 |issue= 285 |pages= 31–32 |publisher= AAAS |doi= 10.1126/science.ns-12.285.31-c |url= https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ns-12.285.31.a |access-date= 2020-04-30}}</ref> A well-known student of Loisette's included ] whose endorsement Loisette used regularly to sell his course.<ref>{{cite book |last= Paine |first= Albert Bigelow |author-link = Albert Paine |title = Mark Twain, a Biography: The Personal and Literary Life of Samuel Langhorne Clemens |volume= 4 |publisher = Harper and Brothers |year = 1912 |pages= 850–851 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=p45aAAAAYAAJ&q=loisette%20mark%20twain&pg=PA850 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Walsh |first1= Thomas M. |last2= Zlatic |first2= Thomas D. |year= 1981 |title= Mark Twain and the Art of Memory |journal= American Literature |volume= 53 |issue= 2 |pages= 214–231 |publisher= Duke University Press |doi= 10.2307/2926100|jstor= 2926100 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1887/03/20/100902080.html |title= Mark Twain's Memory
|date= 1887-03-20 |work= New York Times |access-date= 2020-05-01}}</ref> Following the revelation that he had not originated the system, Larrowe self-published his material under the pseudonym Dr. Antoine Loisette in 1895 and 1896 and it was later re-published by ] in 1899.<ref>{{cite book |last = Loisette |first = Antoine |title = Memory; a scientific, practical method of cultivating the faculties of attention, recollection and retention |publisher = self-published |year = 1895 |url= https://archive.org/details/memoryscientific00lois/page/n3/mode/2up |page=22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last = Loisette |first = Antoinne |title = Assimilative memory, or, How to attend and never forget
|publisher = ] |year = 1899 |url= https://archive.org/details/b28134096/page/n5/mode/2up }}</ref>


In the late 1800s Christof Ludwig Poehlmann (aka Christopher Louis Pelman), a German who had emigrated to the United States, and William Joseph Ennever created and ran a series of booklets and memory courses using the system which resulted in The Pelman Schools, The Pelman Institute, and were generally known as Pelmanism.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.ennever.com/histories/history386p.php?sitever=standard|title= The Pelman Schools, The Pelman Institute and Pelmanism|author= Barry Ennever|date= 2020-03-24 |access-date= 2020-05-01}}</ref>
E.g. Titanic sinking 04/15/1912
Since we know the century we will encode 04 15 12
from the sample system below this becomes Odie/Begging | Albert Einstein/Thinking | Alan Border/Playing cricket or using bat.
So starting from the left we alternate actor, then action: Odie thinking (classic greek statue style), whele Alan Border hits him with a bat; all on the deck on the sinking titanic. In this example Alan Border is also performing an action which could lead to confusion, but it is up to the individual to work around this.


Poehlmann eventually moved back to Germany around 1910 where he continued offering his memory courses and training apparently with a focus on language learning. {{interlanguage link|Bruno F%C3%BCrst|fr}} indicated that he studied under him for a year in 1911. Fürst later practiced criminal law in Frankfort in pre-Hitler Germany before fleeing, as a Jew, to Prague where he taught at ] until emigrating to New York in 1939.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/02/23/mnemonist-2
|title= Mnemonist |author= Richard H. Rovere |author-link= Richard Rovere |date= 1946-02-16 |publisher= The New Yorker |access-date= 2020-04-30}}</ref> In 1939, Fürst published ''Use your Head'' followed by ''How to Remember'' (1944), which was later reprinted as ''The Practical Way to Better Memory'', and followed up with a series of 12 booklets entitled ''You Can Remember! A Home Study Course in Memory and Concentration'' (1946) which all extolled the system, which he called the "Basic List" and the "Number System" along with other mnemonic systems. In a 1946 profile in '']'', Bruno indicates that German scholar ] originated the system.


The system described in this article would be re-popularized after 1957 and through the 1980s in several books by ], a magician and best selling contemporary author on memory. The most popular of the titles featuring the system is ''The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play'' (1974, with Jerry Lucas).<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Lorayne |first1 = Harry |last2 = Lucas |first2 = Jerry |title = The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play |publisher = Stein & Day Publishing |year = 1974 |isbn = 9780812816648 }}</ref>
The system can be used in conjunction with the journey system to remember large numbers or the order of a deck of cards. This is the actual system used by all World Memory Championship winners. It would seem the Lorayne system takes too long to form creative links for such purposes, while the constraints of the DOMINIC system make it faster. E.g. there is no thought of how to relate the 04 to the 15, it is predermined.
While the EDWARDS system certainly appears to have the advantage for short term memorisation, it is possible the Lorayne method is superior or at least advantageous for longer term memories. Two reasons for this are
a) There are more possibilies using the Lorayne method. E.g. 21 could be net, gnat, knot, knead, nod, etc. This should allow for more indexes into the memories and less index overlapping. This index overlapping is theorised to be a magor factor in memory loss. I.e. the memories might remain but there is nolonger a unique means of accessing it.
b) The associations can be more creative and absurd. For the Titanic example, 4/15/1912 can be encoded into rattle-dawn (again ignoring the century). So we can see a rattle snake dragging the titanic underwater at the crack of dawn and feel the warmth of the sun and see the orange; literally bask in it! This should be easier to remember than recalling who was placed on the deck of the Titanic, keeping in mind that these same individuals will also be used in a myriad of other settings between encoding and recall. From this comparison is evident that the two systems are complementary.
The most common mapping used for the EDWARDS system is as follows:
<TABLE>
<TR><TD>0O (Similarity)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>1A (Alphabetic)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>2B (Alphabetic)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>3C (Alphabetic)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>4D (Alphabetic)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>5E (Alphabetic)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>6S (S from six)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>7G (Alphabetic)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>8H (Alphabetic)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>9N (N from Nine)</TD></TR>
</TABLE>


This phonetic system had another resurgence in the 1990s thanks to the late night infomercials of ] who sold a series of tapes called ]. He also published a similar book ''Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory''<ref>{{cite book |last = Trudeau |first = Kevin |author-link = Kevin Trudeau |title = Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory
==External links and references==
|publisher = ] |year = 1995 |isbn = 9780688135829}}</ref> which used this same system with some slight modifications.

]
{| class="wikitable"
|+Major system by Beniowski (1845)
|-
! Number
! Consonants
|-
| 0 || s, z
|-
| 1 || t, d, th
|-
| 2 || n
|-
| 3 || m
|-
| 4 || r
|-
| 5 || l
|-
| 6 || h, ch, sh, j
|-
| 7 || k, g
|-
| 8 || f, v, w
|-
| 9 || p, b
|}The name "Major System" may<ref></ref> refer to Major ], who published a version of the system in his book, ''The Anti-Absurd or Phrenotypic English Pronouncing and Orthographical Dictionary'' in 1845.<ref></ref><ref>{{cite book| last= Beniowski (Maj.)| first= Bartlomiej| title= The Anti-Absurd or Phrenotypic English Pronouncing and Orthographical Dictionary| url= https://archive.org/details/antiabsurdorphr01benigoog/page/n9/mode/2up| year= 1845| publisher= self-published| location= London }}</ref>

There is a reasonable historical possibility that the roots of the Major System are entangled with older systems of ]. It is certainly the case that the underlying structure of the Major System has a direct overlap with ], which was a popular shorthand system in the late 1800s and early 1900s.<ref></ref>

Phonetic number memorization systems also occur in other parts of the world, such as the ] going back to at least the 7th Century in India.

==Practice==
Memory feats centered around numbers can be performed by experts who have learned a 'vocabulary' of at least one image for each 1 and 2-digit number, as these can then be combined to form narratives. Learning a vocabulary of 3-digit numbers is harder, because ten times more images need to be learned for each extra digit. Many mnemonists, however, can use a set of over 1000 images.

The combination of images into a narrative is easier to do rapidly than forming a coherent grammatical sentence. This pre-memorisation and practice at forming images reduces the time required to think up a good imaginary object while creating a strong memorable impression of it. The best words for this purpose are usually nouns, especially those for distinctive objects such as those which make strong impressions on a variety of senses (e.g. "Lime" for 53, as its taste, smell, colour, and even texture are distinctive) or which move (e.g. "arrow" for 4). For basic proficiency, a large vocabulary of image words is not really necessary, since when the table above is reliably learned, it is easy to form your own words ad hoc.

==Indexing sequences==
Mnemonics often center around learning a complete sequence where all objects in that sequence that come before the one you are trying to recall must be recalled first. For instance, using the mnemonic "Richard of York gave battle in vain" to learn the colours of the rainbow; (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) to remember what colour comes after indigo, one would have to recall the whole sequence. For a short sequence this may be trivial; for longer lists, it can become complicated and error-prone.

A good example would be in recalling the 53rd element of the ]. It might be possible for some people to construct and then learn a string of 53 or more items which you have substituted for the elements and then to recall them one by one, counting them off as you go, but it would be a great deal easier and less laborious/tedious to directly associate element 53 with, for example, a lime (a suitable mnemonic for 53) recalling some prior imagining of yours regarding a mishap where lime juice gets into one's eye - "eye" sounding like "I", the symbol for '']''. This allows for ] directly to the item, without the need for recalling any previous items.

If you were remembering element 54 in the process of recalling the periodic table you could then recall an image for 54, for instance thinking of a friend called "Laura" (54) in the lotus position looking very Zen-like in order to remind yourself that element 54 is '']''.

This is an example of combining the Major System with the ].

==See also==
*]
*]
*]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*Gouraud, Francis Fauvel Wiley & Putnam 1845
*Lorayne, Harry and Lucas, Jerry, ''The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, at Play'' Ballantine Books; Reissue edition (1996) {{ISBN|0-345-41002-5}}.
* Totally dedicated to the Major System.
* is an online step-by-step tutorial of the Phonetic Mnemonic System

==External links==
{{wikibooks|Intelligence Intensification/Memory Techniques|Memorizing Numbers and Digits|the major system}}


===Software=== ===Software===
* to learn and practice the major system
* A powerful program for using the Major System. Contains many features.
* - free web application for converting numbers to words/phrases and vice versa using the Major System. Covers the English language with over 220,000 words. which is a portable Major System number-word converter.
* is free (and Free) portable software to help you learn the Major System
* is free Windows software for converting numbers to words (English, German, French). (Major System) * is free Windows software for converting numbers to words (English, German, French).
* Another free (and Free) mnemonic program - runs on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows * Another free mnemonic program - runs on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows
* iPhone app that uses the system to teach how to recall a list of up to 100 items in any order
* iPhone app that helps you to create your own list of words and practice it
* Web application for the mnemonic major system
* Free personalisable web application for learning the digit mappings, and encodings for all 1 and 2 digit words
* Free web application for converting numbers to words using Derren Brown's encoding.
* A free module for the drupal content management system by rolf vreijdenberger - web based
* Training and recall of 1 digit to 4 digits numbers, vocabulary cards and a deck of shuffled playing cards with personalized favorite word selection for each number.
* A quiz to learn the sound/number correspondences of the Major system by rote. Also available are quizzes to learn the top 100 and representations from 00 to 99.


===Other=== ===Other===
*
*
*
*
* *
* *
*
*
*
* The Major System. A site totally dedicated to the Major System.
* describes SEM Cubed (Self Enhancing Memory Master System), which is an extension of the Major System
* by adding colors and smells, textures.
*
* is an online step-by-step tutorial of the Phonetic Mnemonic System (The Major System)
* *
* for 0 - 100, with Peg Word Story
*
*
* A practical memory course.
*


{{DEFAULTSORT:Mnemonic Major System}}
] ]

Latest revision as of 01:32, 25 December 2024

Mnemonic technique for memorizing long numbers

The major system (also called the phonetic number system, phonetic mnemonic system, or Hérigone's mnemonic system) is a mnemonic technique used to help in memorizing numbers.

The system works by converting numbers into consonants, then into words by adding vowels. The system works on the principle that images can be remembered more easily than numbers.

One notable explanation of this system was given in Martin Gardner's book The First Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions (just Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions in the UK edition), which has since been republished in The New Martin Gardner Mathematical Library as Hexaflexagons, Probability Paradoxes, and the Tower of Hanoi. In this, Gardner traces the history of the system back to similar systems of Pierre Hérigone and Richard Grey with uses by Lewis Carroll and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

The system

Each numeral is associated with one or more consonants. The link is to the sound, not the letter. (For example, the letters C in "cat", "Cynthia", and "cello" each have different values in the system – 7, 0, and 6, respectively.) Vowels, semivowels and the consonant /h/ are ignored. These can be used as "fillers" to make sensible words from the resulting consonant sequences. A standard mapping is:

Numeral Sounds (IPA) Commonly associated letters Mnemonic and remarks
0 /s/, /z/ s, soft c, z, x (in xylophone) Zero begins with z (and /z/). Upper case S and Z, as well as lower case s and z, have zero vertical strokes each, as with the numeral 0. The alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ form a voiceless and voiced pair.
1 /t/, /d/, /θ/, /ð/ t, d, th (both in thing and this) Upper case T and D, as well as lower case t and d have one vertical stroke each, as with the numeral 1. The alveolar stops /t/ and /d/ form a voiceless and voiced pair, as do the similar-sounding dental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/, though some variant systems may omit the latter pair.
2 /n/ n Upper case N and lower case n each have two vertical strokes and two points on the baseline.
3 /m/ m Lower case m has three vertical strokes. Both upper case M and lower case m each have three points on the baseline and look like the numeral 3 on its side.
4 /r/ r, l (as sounded in colonel) Four ends with r (and /r/ in rhotic accents).
5 /l/ l L is the Roman numeral for 50. Among the five digits of one's left hand, the thumb and index fingers also form an L.
6 /tʃ/, /dʒ/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/ ch (in cheese and chef), j, soft g, sh, c (as sounded in cello and special), cz (as sounded in Czech), s (as sounded in tissue and vision), sc (as sounded in fascist), sch (as sounded in schwa and eschew), t (as sounded in ration and equation), tsch (in putsch), z (in seizure) Upper case G looks like the numeral 6 and lower case g looks like the numeral 6 rotated 180°. Lower case script j tends to have a lower loop, like the numeral 6. In some serif fonts, upper case CH, SH and ZH each have six serifs. The postalveolar affricates /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ form a voiceless and voiced pair, as do the similar-sounding postalveolar fricatives /ʃ/ and /ʒ/. CHurch has six letters.
7 /k/, /ɡ/ k, hard c, q, hard g, ch (as sounded in loch), Both upper case K and lower case k look like two small 7s on their sides. In some fonts, the lower-right part of the upper case G looks like a 7. G is also the 7th letter of the alphabet. The velar stops /k/ and /ɡ/ form a voiceless and voiced pair.
8 /f/, /v/ f, ph (in phone), v, gh (as sounded in laugh) Lower case script f, which tends to have an upper and lower loop, looks like a figure-8. The labiodental fricatives /f/ and /v/ form a voiceless and voiced pair.
9 /p/, /b/ p, b Upper case P and lower case p look like the numeral 9 flipped horizontally. Lower case b looks like the numeral 9 turned 180°. The labial stops /p/ and /b/ form a voiceless and voiced pair.
Unassigned /h/, /j/, /w/, /x/, vowel sounds h, y, w, a, e, i, o, u, silent letters, ch (in chutzpah), j (in Hallelujah and jalapeno), ll (in tortilla) Vowel sounds, semivowels (/j/ and /w/) and /h/ do not correspond to any number. They can appear anywhere in a word without changing its number value.
(2, 27 or 7) /ŋ/ ng, n before k, hard c, q, hard g or x Variant systems differ about whether /ŋ/ should encode 2 and classified together with /n/, 7 and classified together with /k/ and /ɡ/ or even 27 (e.g. ring could be 42, 47 or 427). When a /k/ and /ɡ/ is pronounced separately after the /ŋ/, variant systems that chose /ŋ/ to be 27 also disagree if an extra 7 should be written (e.g. finger could be 8274 or 82774, or if /ŋ/ is chosen to be 7, 8774).

The groups of similar sounds and the rules for applying the mappings are almost always fixed, but other hooks and mappings can be used as long as the person using the system can remember them and apply them consistently.

Each numeral maps to a set of similar sounds with similar mouth and tongue positions. The link is phonetic, that is to say, it is the consonant sounds that matter, not the spelling. Therefore, a word like action would encode the number 762 (/k/-/ʃ/-/n/), not 712 (k-t-n). Double letters are disregarded when not pronounced separately, e.g. muddy encodes 31 (/m/-/d/), not 311, but midday encodes 311 (/m/-/d/-/d/) while accept encodes 7091 (/k/-/s/-/p/-/t/) since the ds and cs are pronounced separately. x encodes 70 when pronounced as /ks/ or /gz/ (e.g. in fax and exam) and 76 when pronounced /kʃ/ or /gʒ/ (e.g. in anxious or luxury); z encodes 10 when pronounced /ts/ (e.g. in pizza). In ghost (701, /ɡ/-/s/-/t/) and enough (28, /n/-/f/), gh is being encoded by different numerals. Usually, a rhotic accent is assumed, e.g. fear would encode 84 (/f/-/r/) rather than 8 (/f/).

Often the mapping is compact. Hindquarters, for example, translates unambiguously to 2174140 (/n/-/d/-/k/-/r/-/t/-/r/-/z/), which amounts to a twelve-letter word encoded by seven digits in seven letters, and can be easily visualized.

Each numeral maps to a set of similar sounds with similar mouth and tongue positions. For most people it would be easier to remember 3.1415927 (an approximation of the mathematical constant pi) as:

meteor (314, /m/-/t/-/r/)
tail (15, /t/-/l/)
pink (927, /p/-/ŋ/-/k/, and taking /ŋ/ to be 2)

Short term visual memory of imagined scenes allows large numbers of digits to be memorized with ease. Longer-term memory may require the formulation of more object-related mnemonics with greater logical connection, perhaps forming grammatical sentences that apply to the matter rather than just strings of images.

The system can be employed with phone numbers. One would typically make up multiple words, preferably a sentence, or an ordered sequence of images featuring the owner of the number.

The Major System can be combined with a peg system for remembering lists, and is sometimes used also as a method of generating the pegs. It can also be combined with other memory techniques such as rhyming, substitute words, or the method of loci. Repetition and concentration using the ordinary memory is still required.

It is possible to use a computer to automatically translate the number into a set of words. One can then pick the best of several alternatives. Such programs include "Numzi" "Rememberg" "Fonbee", the freeware "2Know", and the website "pinfruit".

Example words

Some of these example words may belong to more than one word category.

1-digit pegs
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
noun hose hat hen home arrow whale shoe cow hoof pie
verb sew hate know aim row heal chew hook view buy
adjective easy hot new yummy hairy oily itchy gay heavy happy
2-digit pegs
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
noun sauce seed sun sumo sierra soil sewage sky sofa soap
verb assess swat assign assume sorrow sell switch soak save sob
adjective sissy sad snowy awesome sorry slow swishy sick savvy sappy
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
noun daisy tattoo tuna dome diary tail dish dog dove tuba
verb tease edit widen time draw tell teach take defy type
adjective dizzy tight wooden tame dry tall whitish thick deaf deep
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
noun nose net onion enemy winery nail nacho neck knife honeybee
verb ionize unite nanny name honour inhale enjoy knock envy nab
adjective noisy neat neon numb narrow annual nudgy naggy naïve wannabe
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39
noun mouse meadow moon mummy emery mole match mug movie map
verb amuse meet mine mime marry mail mash mock move mop
adjective messy mute mean mum merry male mushy mucky mauve wimpy
40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49
noun rice road rain rum aurora railway roach rag roof rope
verb erase read ruin ram rear rule reach rake arrive wrap
adjective rosy ready runny haram rare royal rich rocky rough ripe
50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59
noun louse lady lion lime lorry lily leech leg lava lip
verb lose let align loom lure lull latch lick love help
adjective lazy elite alien lame leery loyal lush lucky leafy loopy
60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69
noun cheese cheetah chin gem shrew chilli cha-cha chick chef jeep
verb chase cheat chain jam jury chill judge check achieve chop
adjective choosy chatty shiny sham cherry jolly Jewish shaky chief cheap
70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79
noun goose cat coin game crow clay cage cake cave cube
verb kiss quote weaken comb carry kill coach cook give copy
adjective cosy good keen gummy grey cool catchy quick goofy agape
80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89
noun vase video fan ovum fairy fool veggie fig fife vibe
verb fuse fight fine fume fry fly fetch fake viva fob
adjective fussy fat funny foamy furry foul fishy foggy fave fab
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
noun boss bead pony puma berry bell pouch bike beef pipe
verb oppose bite ban bomb bury peel patch poke pave pop
adjective busy bad bony balmy pro blue bushy back puffy baby
  • ^a Assumes a rhotic accent
  • ^b nanny (verb): to be overprotective towards
  • ^c mum (adjective): silent; not saying a word
  • ^d agape (adjective): with the mouth wide open, as in wonder, surprise, or eagerness
  • ^e fife (noun): a high-pitched transverse flute used commonly in military and marching musical groups
  • ^f viva (verb): to examine orally
  • ^g fob (verb), archaic: to cheat; deceive

History

Mnemonic major system by Pierre Hérigone from 1634
Johann Just Winckelmann - mnemonic major system from 1648
Major system by Aimé Paris from 1825. – 1: T, D; 2: N, GN; 3: M; 4: R; 5: L, ILL; 6:CH, J; 7: K, GH; 8: F, V; 9: P, B; 0: S, Z
Mnemonic major system by Carl Otto Reventlow – 1843

A different memory system, the method of loci, was taught to schoolchildren for centuries, at least until 1584, "when Puritan reformers declared it unholy for encouraging bizarre and irreverent images." The same objection can be made over the major system, with or without the method of loci. Mental images may be easier to remember if they are insulting, violent, or obscene (see Von Restorff effect).

Pierre Hérigone (1580–1643) devised the earliest version of the major system and published it in 1834. The system was further developed by Johann Just Winckelmann (pseudonym Stanislaus Mink von Weunsshein and published in 1648. It was later elaborated upon by other users. In 1730, Richard Grey set forth a complicated system that used both consonants and vowels to represent the digits. In 1808 Gregor von Feinaigle introduced the improvement of representing the digits by consonants (but reversed the values of 8 and 9 compared to those listed above).

In 1825 Aimé Paris published the first known version of the major system in its modern form.

In 1843, Carl Otto Reventlow (1817–1873) published a mnemonics textbook on a method similar to Paris' and traveled throughout Germany promoting it.

In 1844 Francis Fauvel Gouraud (1808–1847) delivered a series of lectures introducing his mnemonic system which was based on Aimé Paris' version. The lectures drew some of the largest crowds ever assembled to hear lectures of a "scientific" nature up to that time. This series of lectures was later published as Phreno-Mnemotechny or The Art of Memory in 1845 and his system received wide acclaim. According to Gouraud, Richard Grey indicated that a discussion on Hebrew linguistics in William Beveridge's Institutionum chronotogicarum libri duo, una cum totidem arithmetices chronologicæ libellis (London, 1669) inspired him to create his system of mnemotechniques which later evolved in to the major system.

In the 1880s Marcus Dwight Larrowe, alias Silas Holmes, was teaching memory courses in the United States based on the Major System using a third alias Dr. Antoine Loisette. Because he was charging inordinate sums of money for a system which had obviously existed before, George S. Fellows published "Loisette" exposed (1888) and included all the material of Larrowe's course which he determined not to be under copyright. The incident was notable enough to gain coverage by way of a book review in the journal Science. A well-known student of Loisette's included Mark Twain whose endorsement Loisette used regularly to sell his course. Following the revelation that he had not originated the system, Larrowe self-published his material under the pseudonym Dr. Antoine Loisette in 1895 and 1896 and it was later re-published by Funk & Wagnalls in 1899.

In the late 1800s Christof Ludwig Poehlmann (aka Christopher Louis Pelman), a German who had emigrated to the United States, and William Joseph Ennever created and ran a series of booklets and memory courses using the system which resulted in The Pelman Schools, The Pelman Institute, and were generally known as Pelmanism.

Poehlmann eventually moved back to Germany around 1910 where he continued offering his memory courses and training apparently with a focus on language learning. Bruno Fürst [fr] indicated that he studied under him for a year in 1911. Fürst later practiced criminal law in Frankfort in pre-Hitler Germany before fleeing, as a Jew, to Prague where he taught at Masaryk University until emigrating to New York in 1939. In 1939, Fürst published Use your Head followed by How to Remember (1944), which was later reprinted as The Practical Way to Better Memory, and followed up with a series of 12 booklets entitled You Can Remember! A Home Study Course in Memory and Concentration (1946) which all extolled the system, which he called the "Basic List" and the "Number System" along with other mnemonic systems. In a 1946 profile in The New Yorker, Bruno indicates that German scholar Conradus Celtes originated the system.

The system described in this article would be re-popularized after 1957 and through the 1980s in several books by Harry Lorayne, a magician and best selling contemporary author on memory. The most popular of the titles featuring the system is The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play (1974, with Jerry Lucas).

This phonetic system had another resurgence in the 1990s thanks to the late night infomercials of Kevin Trudeau who sold a series of tapes called Mega Memory. He also published a similar book Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory which used this same system with some slight modifications.

Major Bartłomiej Beniowski (1800–1867)
Major system by Beniowski (1845)
Number Consonants
0 s, z
1 t, d, th
2 n
3 m
4 r
5 l
6 h, ch, sh, j
7 k, g
8 f, v, w
9 p, b

The name "Major System" may refer to Major Bartlomiej Beniowski, who published a version of the system in his book, The Anti-Absurd or Phrenotypic English Pronouncing and Orthographical Dictionary in 1845.

There is a reasonable historical possibility that the roots of the Major System are entangled with older systems of shorthand. It is certainly the case that the underlying structure of the Major System has a direct overlap with Gregg shorthand, which was a popular shorthand system in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Phonetic number memorization systems also occur in other parts of the world, such as the Katapayadi system going back to at least the 7th Century in India.

Practice

Memory feats centered around numbers can be performed by experts who have learned a 'vocabulary' of at least one image for each 1 and 2-digit number, as these can then be combined to form narratives. Learning a vocabulary of 3-digit numbers is harder, because ten times more images need to be learned for each extra digit. Many mnemonists, however, can use a set of over 1000 images.

The combination of images into a narrative is easier to do rapidly than forming a coherent grammatical sentence. This pre-memorisation and practice at forming images reduces the time required to think up a good imaginary object while creating a strong memorable impression of it. The best words for this purpose are usually nouns, especially those for distinctive objects such as those which make strong impressions on a variety of senses (e.g. "Lime" for 53, as its taste, smell, colour, and even texture are distinctive) or which move (e.g. "arrow" for 4). For basic proficiency, a large vocabulary of image words is not really necessary, since when the table above is reliably learned, it is easy to form your own words ad hoc.

Indexing sequences

Mnemonics often center around learning a complete sequence where all objects in that sequence that come before the one you are trying to recall must be recalled first. For instance, using the mnemonic "Richard of York gave battle in vain" to learn the colours of the rainbow; (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) to remember what colour comes after indigo, one would have to recall the whole sequence. For a short sequence this may be trivial; for longer lists, it can become complicated and error-prone.

A good example would be in recalling the 53rd element of the periodic table. It might be possible for some people to construct and then learn a string of 53 or more items which you have substituted for the elements and then to recall them one by one, counting them off as you go, but it would be a great deal easier and less laborious/tedious to directly associate element 53 with, for example, a lime (a suitable mnemonic for 53) recalling some prior imagining of yours regarding a mishap where lime juice gets into one's eye - "eye" sounding like "I", the symbol for Iodine. This allows for random access directly to the item, without the need for recalling any previous items.

If you were remembering element 54 in the process of recalling the periodic table you could then recall an image for 54, for instance thinking of a friend called "Laura" (54) in the lotus position looking very Zen-like in order to remind yourself that element 54 is Xenon.

This is an example of combining the Major System with the peg system.

See also

References

  1. Gardner, Martin (2008). Hexaflexagons, Probability Paradoxes, and the Tower of Hanoi. Cambridge University Press. pp. 116–122. ISBN 978-0-521-75615-0.
  2. Hale-Evans, Ron (February 2006). Mind Performance Hacks (1 ed.). Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly. p. 14. ISBN 0-596-10153-8.
  3. Numzi mnemonic search engine (bi-directional)
  4. Rememberg online mnemonic search engine
  5. Fonbee Mnemonic Major System Encoder
  6. 2Know Mnemonic Software
  7. Web application for the mnemonic major system
  8. "Nanny". Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  9. "Mum". Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  10. "Agape". Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  11. "Fife". Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  12. "Viva". Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  13. "Fob". Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  14. https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10593924?page=157
  15. Brown, Derren (2006), Tricks of the Mind, Transworld Publishers, ISBN 978-1-905026-26-5.
  16. Buzzan, Tony, 1989. Use Your Perfect Memory, Third Edition, Plume. Cited in Hale-Evans
  17. History of the Major System
  18. Fauvel-Gouraud, Francis (1845). Phreno-mnemotechny: Or, The Art of Memory. Wiley and Putnam. pp. 61–62. Beveridge.
  19. Fellows, George S. (1888). "Loisette" exposed, together with Loisette's Complete System of Physiological Memory. G.S. Fellows & Co.
  20. "Book review: "Loisette" exposed, together with Loisette's Complete System of Physiological Memory. By G. S. FELLOWS. New York, The Author. 8‡ 25 cents". Science. ns-12 (285). AAAS: 31–32. 1888-07-20. doi:10.1126/science.ns-12.285.31-c. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  21. Paine, Albert Bigelow (1912). Mark Twain, a Biography: The Personal and Literary Life of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Vol. 4. Harper and Brothers. pp. 850–851.
  22. Walsh, Thomas M.; Zlatic, Thomas D. (1981). "Mark Twain and the Art of Memory". American Literature. 53 (2). Duke University Press: 214–231. doi:10.2307/2926100. JSTOR 2926100.
  23. "Mark Twain's Memory". New York Times. 1887-03-20. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  24. Loisette, Antoine (1895). Memory; a scientific, practical method of cultivating the faculties of attention, recollection and retention. self-published. p. 22.
  25. Loisette, Antoinne (1899). Assimilative memory, or, How to attend and never forget. Funk & Wagnalls.
  26. Barry Ennever (2020-03-24). "The Pelman Schools, The Pelman Institute and Pelmanism". Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  27. Richard H. Rovere (1946-02-16). "Mnemonist". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  28. Lorayne, Harry; Lucas, Jerry (1974). The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play. Stein & Day Publishing. ISBN 9780812816648.
  29. Trudeau, Kevin (1995). Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory. William Morrow & Co. ISBN 9780688135829.
  30. Major Beniowski and the Major System
  31. History of the Major System
  32. Beniowski (Maj.), Bartlomiej (1845). The Anti-Absurd or Phrenotypic English Pronouncing and Orthographical Dictionary. London: self-published.
  33. The Mnemonic Major System and Gregg Shorthand Have the Same Underlying Structure

External links

Software

  • iOS app to learn and practice the major system
  • Numzi - free web application for converting numbers to words/phrases and vice versa using the Major System. Covers the English language with over 220,000 words. Numzi also has an iOS app which is a portable Major System number-word converter.
  • 2Know is free Windows software for converting numbers to words (English, German, French).
  • Mnemisis Another free mnemonic program - runs on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows
  • Memagine iPhone app that uses the system to teach how to recall a list of up to 100 items in any order
  • Major System iPhone app that helps you to create your own list of words and practice it
  • pinfruit.com Web application for the mnemonic major system
  • Major System Trainer Free personalisable web application for learning the digit mappings, and encodings for all 1 and 2 digit words
  • Major System Tool Free web application for converting numbers to words using Derren Brown's encoding.
  • Mnemonic Major System Module A free module for the drupal content management system by rolf vreijdenberger - web based
  • dingn.com Training and recall of 1 digit to 4 digits numbers, vocabulary cards and a deck of shuffled playing cards with personalized favorite word selection for each number.
  • LOC Serendipity A quiz to learn the sound/number correspondences of the Major system by rote. Also available are quizzes to learn the top 100 adjective and noun representations from 00 to 99.

Other

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