Patent Application
20240066388
This Invention relates generally to the use of Latin prefixes and verb stems in the efficient uptake of English vocabulary by means of a board game context.
Native speakers of languages not based in Latin, in particular, ideogram languages including Japanese and Chinese, have a disadvantage when acquiring English vocabulary in comparison with native speakers of Latin based languages such as Italian. This disadvantage arises from the inability to break down Latin based English words into component Latin prefixes and Latin verb stems. In Japanese, meaning can be found in new words through analysis of known parts. Kanji, for example, are ideograms sometimes used in the rendering of the Japanese language. The meaning of newly encountered Japanese words kanjukugo made up of two or more kanji can often be guessed at if one of the kanji commonly occurs in a range of Japanese words. In contrast, the acquisition of Japanese learners of English vocabulary would seem to those ignorant of Latin to be restricted to rote memorization of vocabulary lists, and consumption of written and other media. There is a third way to efficiently learn, through component analysis, a sector of English vocabulary, that sector being Latin based English words built from adaptations of Latin verb stems as decorated, or not, by Latin prefixes.
Knowing a range of Latin verb stems and Latin prefixes can be helpful in analyzing newly encountered English words, particularly in the context of standardized tests for English proficiency. The Invention described in this Application describes a board game to add the element of fun toward learning these Latin prefixes and verb stems. Fun can be defined as a pleasant experience prompting continued activity, necessary for success in the task of acquisition of the many words needed for proficiency in English.
Accordingly, it is an object of this Invention to at least partially overcome some of the disadvantages of the prior art.
Prepared game boards printed with Latin verb stems and Japanese meanings of Latin verb stems in a grid, cards with Latin prefixes and their Japanese meanings, cards printed with sample English words based on the Latin verb stems appearing on the game board, helper cards with lists of words deriving from a given Latin verb steam, and play aids such as colored marking tiles, dice and player marking objects, as well as instructions for play, are all contained in a package that comprises the Invention described in this Application.
In the drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the invention:
In some embodiments, aspects of the Invention described in this Application comprise a package with at least seven components: a game board or boards printed with Latin verb stems and their Japanese meaning, cards printed with Latin prefixes and their Japanese meaning, helper cards printed with a sample list of English vocabulary for each Latin verb stem, color tiles for each player, dice, player markers sometimes called “men”, and instructions for game play.
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Playing the game goes as follows: prefix cards and a player marker are distributed to each player. A dice is rolled to see who goes first, and then the player looks for a Latin verb stem that, given evolution of that stem in modern English, can be used with one of the prefix cards to make an English word. For example, in plus claudere yields the English word include. Successful word construction enables the player to place a color tile on that grid square including the Latin verb stem claudere. The player may take a prefix card from an opposing player's prefix cards, but that player is then allowed to take any prefix card from the active player's pile. A minimum number of prefix cards, say five, is maintained by taking a new prefix card from the undealt prefix card pile after each play. In this way, grid squares are populated by the various tiles differentiated by colors of the various players, the object being to accumulate the most tiles. Geometrical patterns, for example, a line of four claimed grids of the same color in a row, allows for an extra turn. Failure to think of a word using the prefixes at hand results in no tile being placed. The real object of the game is to gain familiarity with Latin verb stems and prefixes through repeated exposure in a game context.
For those players who have insufficient vocabulary to think of English words using their prefix cards, a dice may be thrown to move the player marker to a verb stem square and the helper card listing vocabulary may be consulted to see if there is an English word in that list using one of the prefix cards dealt. If not, no tile is laid.
The Invention is unique and novel owing to the collection of Latin verb stems and prefixes within the game toward English word study.
