Naming Confusion

While researching the history of the system on which The Number Thesaurus is based, the editors noticed that several different names have been applied to the system that is based on the following number-letter code:

While the number-letter associations are quite ingenious (see Introduction), the same cannot be said for the names that have been applied to the system itself. Although the following list may not be exhaustive, it illustrates a certain lack of specificity and confusion about the system.

            The Peg System

            The Phonetic System

            The Phonetic Alphabet

            The Phonetic Mnemonic System

            The Standardized Mnemonic System

            The Major System

            The Mnemonic Major System

It is the editors’ belief that a more descriptive name might lead to a consensus among the many excellent memory practitioners, teachers, and writers. It is hoped that a higher degree of precision in the naming department will bring about wider acceptance and interest in memory systems, in general, and specifically in the system where 1 = T, 2 = N, …etc. To that end, the editors of The Number Thesaurus are proposing the following name for this venerable system:

The Phonetic Peg Memory System

The following discussion is an effort to “sell” the proposed name to the devotees of the system as opposed to an effort to devalue the names contained in the list above.

While The Peg System is certainly a descriptive name, the problem is that there are other memory systems that also employ the same name. For example, in the system that Tony Buzan (the noted author of Use Your Perfect Memory) more appropriately refers to as The Number-Rhyme System, “peg” words are developed to rhyme with numbers. Thus, bun = 1, shoe = 2, tree = 3, door = 4…hen = 10. Although Mr. Buzan does not refer to these words as “peg” words, earlier rhyming systems describe them as such and have applied the name Peg System to this particular system of memory improvement. Thus, there can be confusion as to which "Peg System" a speaker is referring to when that name is used.

The noted memory experts and authors Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas refer to this system as The Peg System. They, along with only a handful of other individuals, are the leading proponents and teachers of memory systems, and the editors assume that they did not originate or adopt the name without considerable deliberation. So, it is with some trepidation that the editors suggest supplementing The Peg System with two additional words — Phonetic and Memory.

Likewise, The Phonetic System is also descriptive of the techniques employed in the memory system where 1 = T, 2 = N…etc. In fact, this name is probably the best choice for a shorthand description among those users who are already familiar with the various memory systems. However, when attempting to first introduce the concept to potential users, it seems that more information needs to be conveyed by the name. Thus, the three words — the, phonetic, and system — were used in the title suggested by the editors. The only change is that two additional words — Peg and Memory — were added to the suggested name.

The Phonetic Alphabet seems to be a bit of a misnomer in light of the International Phonetic Association (“IPA”), which publishes the International Phonetic Alphabet. The following mission statement can be found at the IPA Web site:

The aim of the IPA is to promote the scientific study of phonetics and the various practical applications of that science. In furtherance of this aim, the IPA provides the academic community world-wide with a notational standard for the phonetic representation of all languages – the International Phonetic Alphabet.

The purpose of the International Phonetic Alphabet is not related to memory systems.

The Phonetic Mnemonic System appears to incorporate all of the elements of the system in search of a name. However, in the opinion of the editors, the name suffers from a grammatical slipup in that both phonetic and mnemonic (as used herein) are adjectives. Perhaps the intent of the title was The Phonetically Mnemonic System (with the usual pattern of an adverb modifying an adjective). Perhaps even better — The Phonetic Memory System — wherein mnemonic is replaced by the more familiar word memory. The notion that this system has something to do with memory seemed fundamental to the editors. Thus, memory was incorporated into the proposed name of the system.

The Standardized Mnemonic System appears to be a product of the same frustration experienced by the editors of The Number Thesaurus — the absence of a descriptive phrase or term that captures the potential of the system. Standardized seems to imply a situation of recent disagreement that has now been resolved. In actuality, the system can trace its roots back more than 350 years, and the number-letter code in use today (1 = T, 2 = N, …etc.) was fairly well finalized in 1823.

The Major System appears to be one of the most recent attempts to bring consensus to a core of practitioners who are, to use an analogy, in perfect agreement about how the car should be built, but who can’t figure out what to name it. As in the case of Messrs. Lorayne and Lucas, the editors wish to proceed very cautiously in regard to suggesting another name. The reason is that the name The Major System appears to have been coined by Tony Buzan, circa 1984, in his book Use Your Perfect Memory. Mr. Buzan is also one of the leading practitioners of memory systems, and the editors assume that he did not choose the name without considerable deliberation (if, in fact, it was he who originate the name).

So, it is with more than a little hesitation that the editors are suggesting a new name for the system that Mr. Buzan describes as “the ultimate Basic Memory System.” In the opinion of the editors, the name The Major System is too vague. While the name has the advantages of brevity and simplicity, those advantages do not seem to outweigh the disadvantage of uncertainty when it comes to introducing the system to potential users.

Certainly, the editors of The Number Thesaurus are in agreement that the adjective major more than fairly defines the system as “greater in dignity, rank, importance, or interest.” But the name seems better suited for those who are already familiar with all of the basic memory systems — The Link System, The Number-Shape System, The Number Rhyme System, The Roman Room System, and The Alphabet System. Thus, if one of the goals of naming the system is to attract new adherents, then a more descriptive name seems to be in order.

The Mnemonic Major System appears to be an attempt to add some specificity to the name discussed immediately above. It is likely that this name was coined to introduce the concept that the system is concerned with memory improvement.

The Phonetic Peg Memory System seems to be the most descriptive name that can be applied to this powerful memory system that was devised over 350 years ago. It incorporates many of the elements that are present in most of the names discussed above.

As suggested earlier, the intent of the editors of The Number Thesaurus in offering a new name for the system is to further the acceptance and use of the system by eliminating the uncertainty and confusion surrounding the name of the system. Of course, the editors also hope to encourage the use of the system by offering the most elaborate and innovative method of converting words to numbers that has ever been developed. The editors believe The Number Thesaurus provides a solid foundation to which dedicated users of The Phonetic Peg Memory System can make significant contributions by submitting words and phrases for inclusion in The Number Thesaurus.

The editors of The Number Thesaurus realize that simply suggesting a new name for a system that now has many names will not necessarily bring acceptance or consensus. To use a hackneyed phrase – time will tell. But for now, The Number Thesaurus will employ The Phonetic Peg Memory System to describe the system on which The Number Thesaurus is based. Any Feedback on this topic would be appreciated.