ending：　o　for　masculine；　a　for　feminine。　French；　however；　conceals　gender　clues　with
  noun　endings　as　unrevealing　as　battlefield　camouflage。　German　and　Russian　have
  masculine；　feminine；　and　neuter　nouns。　The　Scandinavian　languages　call　their　two　noun
  genders　“common”　and　“neuter；”　as　does　Dutch。　Chinese；　Japanese；　Indonesian；
  Hungarian；　and　Finnish；　like　English；　have　no　noun　genders。
  How　do　we　remember　whether　the　French　noun　for　“train；”　also　spelled　train；　is　le
  train　（masculine）　or　la　train　（feminine）？　It　happens　to　be　masculine；　le　train。　Imagine　not
  merely　a　train　that　has　no　women　passengers；　but　a　train　that　doesn’t　allow　women
  passengers！　The　men　prefer　it　that　way。　In　hot　weather；　when　the　air　conditioning　fails；
  they　sit　around　in　their　underwear。　Feminists　are　outraged；　but　the　Supreme　court　keeps
  postponing　the　case。　Men’s　magazines　litter　the　aisles。　There　are　twice　as　many　men’s
  rooms　as　necessary　because　there　are　no　ladies’　rooms。　Once　the　train　screeched　to　a　halt
  between　stations　and　an　alarm　sounded。　It　seems　a　band　of　militant　women　tried　to　board
  the　train　and　hijack　it。　They　were　eventually　beaten　back；　before　the　men　in　the　club　car
  even　had　to　put　their　pants　back　on。
  Le　train；　masculine。
  The　French　word　for　“café”　is　le　café；　masculine。　You　could　either　confect　another
  all　male　scenario　for　a　café　similar　to　the　one　you　did　for　the　train。　Or　imagine　a
  masculine　name　emblazoned　over　the　entrance　–　something　like　the　Macho　Café　or　the
  Rambo　Café。
  Le　café；　masculine。
  “Hour”　in　French　is　l’heure；　feminine。　Occasionally　you　get　a　gift　like　this　one。
  Heure　is　pronounced　very　much　like　her　without　the　h。
  L’heure；　feminine。
  “Nose”　in　French　is　le　nez；　masculine。
  The　members　of　which　sex　break　their　noses　playing　football　and　hockey；　boxing；
  wrestling；　and　fighting　with　wise　guys　who　insult　their　dates？
  Le　nez；　masculine。
  “Night”　in　French　is　la　nuit；　feminine。
  Who　ever　heard　of　a　“man　of　the　night？”
  La　nuit；　feminine。
  “Ticket”　in　French　is　le　billet；　masculine。
  Always　look　for　opportunities　to　incorporate　a　memory　hook　for　the　gender　as　you
  capture　the　word　itself。　Billet　is　pronounced　bee…yay；　almost　exactly　like　the　letters　B。A。
  as　in　Bachelor　of　Arts。　If　“bachelor”　doesn’t　have　a　sufficiently　strong　male　connotation
  to　you；　imagine　a　giant　male　bumble　bee　buzzing　around。
  Le　billet；　masculine。
  “Train　station”　in　French　is　la　gare；　feminine。
  Shall　we　imagine　women　waiting　for　their　homebound　commuting　husbands　at　the
  train　station？　Not　a　good　idea。　You　may　forget　whether　the　waiting　women　or　the
  expected　husbands　are　the　star　of　the　association。　How　about　hundreds　of　women　waiting
  for　one　man；　pouncing　upon　him　and　fighting　over　him　as　he　unsuspectingly　steps　off　the
  train？
  La　gare；　feminine。
  “Church”　in　French　is　l’eglise；　feminine。
  Imagine　an　angry　mob　of　French　women　storming　a　church　in　France；　demanding
  that　women　be　allowed　into　the　Catholic　priesthood。
  L’eglise；　feminine。
  Let　this　one　be　a　lesson　to　you。　“Mustache”　in　French　is　la　moustache；　feminine！
  Imagine　the　circus　lady　with　a　mustache；　or　a　new　French　wine　that　causes　women
  to　grow　mustaches；　or　a　little　girl　asking　her　mother　if　she　can　ever　have　a　mustache。
  La　moustache；　feminine。
  Some　languages　have　neuter　gender　too。　Try　to　come　up　with　associations　that
  suggest　icy　impersonality。
  “House”　in　German　is　das　Haus；　neuter。
  Imagine　a　house　so　cold　and　unappealing　it　couldn’t　have　possibly　been　graced　by
  man　or　woman　for　years。　No　one　lives　there　or　would　ever　conceivably　want　to。
  Das　Haus；　neuter。
  “Pen”　in　Russian　is　pero；　pronounced　pee…RAW。　What　could　be　more　sexless　than　a
  pea　that’s　raw？
  Pero；　neuter。
  Reinforcement
  You　now　have　a　brand　new　“closet；”　a　foreign　language　vocabulary　memory　system　that
  lets　you　hang　up　new　words　as　if　they　were　new　clothes。　The　system　just　presented　will
  work　even　better　for　you　if　you　keep　a　few　tips　in　mind。
  Every　example　given　above　is　clean　in　word；　deed；　and　thought。　Every　one　could
  have　been　presented　from　the　stage　in　Yadkinville；　North　Carolina；　YMCA　during
  Foreign　Language　Week。　I　refuse　to　do　any　dirty　writing；　so　you　have　to　do　some　dirty
  thinking　（if　you　will）　to　get　maximum　benefit　from　the　system。
  The　more　vivid；　in　fact；　the　more　vulgar；　your　associations　are；　the　more　readily
  they　will　probably　come　to　mind。　Feel　free；　in　your　mental　imagery；　to　take　clothes　off。
  Get　people　naked。　Get　everybody　into　bed；　in　the　tub；　swinging　from　vines；　or　making
  nominating　speeches　immersed　in　bubbling　Romanian　mud。　Get　them　wherever　you　need
  them　so　that　the　association　you　want　is　readily　retrievable。　X…rated　images　come　readily
  to　mind；　even　to　the　minds　of　nice　people。　Make　your　associative　images　lurid　and
  unforgettable。
  We’ve　refrained　in　our　model　examples　from　using　names　and　places　to　buttress　our
  associations。　In　a　book　or　a　class；　we　can’t。　Except　for　famous　figures　and　places　we　all
  know　in　common；　names　and　places　don’t　mean　the　same　things　to　everybody。　As
  individuals；　however；　we　can　haul　off　and　use　any　and　every　proper　name　we　know；
  whether　from　our　personal　lives　or　from　stage；　screen；　radio；　video；　song；　literature；　and
  legend。
  Does　the　foreign　word　demand　the　sound　–　or　any　part　of　the　sound　–　of　a　Harry；　an
  Edna；　a　Philip；　an　Art；　a　Harold；　a　Doreen；　a　Billy；　a　Lance？　If　that　name　belongs　to
  someone　you　actually　know；　your　associations　will　come　to　you　more　rapidly　and　last
  longer。
  Did　you　grow　up　around　a　Reidsville；　a　Colfax；　a　Burlington；　a　Charlotte；　a　Haw
  River；　or　a　Mt。　Pisgah？　Your　associations　with　the　foreign　words　can　be　enriched　by
  place　names　that　sounds　like　or　almost　like　your　target　words。　You　don’t　actually　have　to
  have　those　places　in　your　biography；　so　long　as　you　know　them　and　can　visualise　them
  and　use　them　as　lassos　to　haul　in　and　hog　tie　similar　sounding　words。　I’ve　never　been　to
  Nantucket；　but　when　attacking　the　Indonesian　word　for　“tired”　（NAN…tuk）；　I　imagine
  getting　so　tired　on　my　initial　visit　to　Nantucket　that　I　collapse　into　bed　exhausted　shortly
  after　lunch。
  Yet　another　asset　to　you　is　the　body　of　words　you　already　know　in　another　foreign
  language；　or　even　in　the　language　you’re　learning。　Those　who　know　many　languages　may
  conquer　a　four　syllable　word　by　bringing　in　sounds　from　four　different　languages。　This　is
  a　classic　case　of　the　rich　getting　richer。　Every　new　word　you　learn　is　one　more　potential
  hook　for　grabbing　still　newer　words。
  Don’t　fight　to　forge　a　winning　association。　If　at　first　you　don’t　succeed；　try；　try
  again。　Then　give　up！　Not　all　words　can　be　forced　into　the　system；　and　you’re　better　off
  not　wasting　good　language　learning　time　trying　to　mash　an　ill　fitting　shoe　onto
  Cinderella’s　sister’s　foot。　Over　ninety　percent　will　fit；　automatically；　neatly；　or　after　some
  effort。　The　others；　the　holdouts；　will　have　to　be　learned　by　old　familiar　rote　learning。
  Don’t　forget：　make　your　associations　vivid；　even　if　that　means　making　them　vulgar。
  You’ll　find　that　so　many　truly　comical　cartoons　will　dance　through　your　head　as
  you　craft　your　associative　images；　you’ll　find　yourself　constantly　having　to　explain
  “What’s　so　funny？”　to　native　speakers　who　wonder　what’s　so　hilarious　about　those
  ordinary　words　they’re　teaching　you　in　their　language！
  The　Plunge
  Talk！
  Americans　feel；　with　justification；　that　we’re　handicapped　when　it　come　to　learning　other
  languages。　Smaller　countries　with　lots　of　borders　and　lots　of　strange　languages　on　the
  other　side　offer　more　opportunities　to　absorb　other　languages　than　a　gigantic　United
  States　bounded　by　the　world’s　two　largest　oceans　and　only　two　land　neighbours；　the
  larger　one　speaking；　for　the　most　part；　the　same　language　we　do。
  Admittedly；　it’s　hard　to　find　a　Dutchman　who　doesn’t　speak　four　or　five　languages；
  a　Swiss　who　doesn’t　speak　at　least　three；　or　a　Finn；　a　Belgian；　or　a　Hong　Kong　Chinese
  who　doesn’t　speak　at　least　two。　Norwegians；　Swedes；　and　Danes　subject　us　to　the
  humiliation　of　speaking　fluent　English　ot　each　other　just　to　be　polite　when　Americans　are
  present。
  Those　peoples　are　not　kissed　by　tongues　of　flame　that　render　them　more　intelligent
  than　Americans。　They’re　simply　positioned　better　by　geography　and　history　when　it
  comes　to　acquiring　more　than　one　language。
  Americans；　however；　hold　one　high　card　that　too　frequently　goes　unplayed。　We’re
  gregarious。　We’re　extroverts。　Some　say　it　contemptuously。　Some　say　it　admiringly。　But
  those　who　know　us　best　agree　that　we　Americans　are　the　only　people　in　the　world　who
  enjoy　speaking　another　language　badly！
  The　typical　European　would　sooner　invite　you　to　inspect　his　bedroom　fifty　seconds
  after　waking　up　than　speak　a　language　he　doesn’t　speak　well。　Most　people　in　the　wor