Synesthesia is a fascinating neurological phenomenon where the stimulation of one sensory pathway involuntarily triggers the activation of another. For instance, someone with synesthesia might “see” sounds as colors or “taste” words. While relatively rare, this cross-wiring of the senses can offer a creative and sensory-rich way to approach language learning in the TESOL classroom.
In this article, we’ll explore what synesthesia is, provide examples of how it manifests, and suggest ways TESOL teachers can harness its principles to enhance English teaching and create memorable, multisensory learning experiences for students.
What is Synesthesia?
Synesthesia comes from the Greek words “syn,” meaning “together,” and “aesthesis,” meaning “sensation.” It describes a condition where two or more senses are coupled in unusual ways. A person with synesthesia might experience the following:
- Grapheme-color synesthesia: Where letters or numbers are perceived as inherently colored.
- Chromesthesia: Where sounds, like music or spoken words, trigger the visualization of colors.
- Lexical-gustatory synesthesia: Where words evoke tastes, such as associating the name “Jessica” with the taste of chocolate.
- Mirror-touch synesthesia: Where the person feels sensations that another person is experiencing, such as feeling a touch when seeing someone else being touched.
People with synesthesia don’t consciously choose to have these cross-sensory experiences—it’s automatic. While only a small percentage of the population has genuine synesthesia, many people can relate to experiences where senses seem connected, such as associating colors with emotions (e.g., red for anger, blue for calm).
Examples of Synesthesia
- Grapheme-Color Synesthesia: For someone with this type of synesthesia, the letter “A” might always appear as red, or the number “3” might be seen as yellow.
- Chromesthesia: A musician might “see” sounds as bursts of color or visualize musical notes as flashes of light.
- Lexical-Gustatory Synesthesia: A person may taste mint when hearing the word “Monday,” or the name “Sarah” might bring the taste of strawberries.
Using Synesthesia for Teaching English
Even though most learners do not experience true synesthesia, TESOL teachers can adopt its multisensory approach to create engaging and memorable lessons. Integrating sensory experiences into language instruction can enhance learning by making abstract concepts more concrete and improving retention.
Here are some creative ways to apply synesthetic principles in your English lessons:
1. Color-Coding Vocabulary
- How to Use It: Assign specific colors to different parts of speech or vocabulary categories. For instance, all nouns could be blue, verbs red, and adjectives green. As students work on new vocabulary, they can associate words with specific colors, improving recall through visual cues.
- Example: “The sky (noun) is blue (adjective) and shines (verb) brightly.” Students would highlight or write each word in the corresponding color.
2. Connecting Sounds with Colors
- How to Use It: Engage students in activities where they associate different sounds, such as phonemes or syllables, with colors. For example, the sound /s/ could be linked to yellow and /k/ to blue. When teaching pronunciation, students can visualize these sounds through colors, making it easier to distinguish similar sounds.
- Example: Practice minimal pairs like “seat” (yellow for /s/) and “cat” (blue for /k/) by having students color-code the words as they speak.
3. Sensory Storytelling
- How to Use It: Encourage students to incorporate multiple senses when writing or telling stories. Ask them to describe how colors, smells, tastes, sounds, and textures interact within their narratives.
- Example: A student could describe a market scene: “The smell of fresh bread filled the air (smell), and the sunlight reflected off the red (sight) apples on the cart.” This approach helps deepen their descriptive language and increases engagement with the vocabulary.
4. Taste & Smell Vocabulary
- How to Use It: Introduce lexical-gustatory synesthesia by having students associate certain words with flavors or scents. This can be particularly effective for food-related vocabulary or adjectives that describe taste and smell.
- Example: When teaching words like “sweet,” “spicy,” or “sour,” have students smell or taste corresponding items (e.g., sugar, chili, lemon) as they learn the words. This method creates sensory connections that aid memory.
5. Sound-Color Associations in Listening Exercises
- How to Use It: During listening activities, ask students to associate different types of sounds, such as voices, music, or environmental sounds, with colors or shapes. This technique can also be useful for developing listening comprehension skills by encouraging students to interpret spoken English in a more visual or abstract way.
- Example: While listening to a short story, students could be asked to identify the “color” of the characters’ voices or the “shape” of certain sound effects, building creative listening strategies.
6. Music and Mood
- How to Use It: Use music as a tool to connect emotions with language. Play different genres of music (e.g., classical, jazz, pop) and ask students to describe how the music “feels” using descriptive language. You can link emotions (e.g., happy, sad, excited) to colors or images, as someone with chromesthesia might.
- Example: “This music makes me feel yellow (happy) and light like a feather.” Students practice emotional vocabulary while engaging with auditory stimuli.
7. Sensory Poetry
- How to Use It: Have students write poems that describe experiences using multiple senses. Encourage them to think synesthetically by combining sensory details, such as “The warmth of the sun feels like golden laughter” or “The sound of the rain is as smooth as velvet.”
- Example: Create a “five-senses” poem, where students must include a sensory description for each sense (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) within their piece.
8. Interactive Pronunciation Practice
- How to Use It: For students struggling with pronunciation, introduce multisensory aids such as touch or movement. Assign gestures, movements, or tactile experiences (e.g., tapping on a table) to certain sounds. This can help make learning phonemes and stress patterns more memorable.
- Example: To practice the sound /th/, students might trace a circle in the air while pronouncing words like “think” or “thought,” connecting the movement to the sound.
Why Use a Multisensory Approach?
Synesthesia-inspired teaching taps into the power of sensory integration to deepen students’ understanding and retention of new language. Here’s why it works:
- Enhanced Memory: Engaging multiple senses simultaneously strengthens neural connections, helping students remember vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation more effectively.
- Personalized Learning: Multisensory techniques cater to different learning styles, providing students with multiple ways to connect to the material—whether through sight, sound, touch, or movement.
- Increased Engagement: By turning language learning into an interactive and sensory experience, students are more likely to stay engaged and motivated.
- Creative Expression: Encouraging students to explore language through sensory and abstract connections helps spark creativity, allowing them to express ideas in new and imaginative ways.
Creating Synesthetic Experiences Through Suggestions
Using the power of suggestion to simulate or evoke a synesthetic-like experience in people can be a fascinating way to enhance learning, particularly in language teaching. Although most people do not naturally experience synesthesia, teachers can tap into the brain’s natural associative processes to create a similar effect. Here are five ways to use the power of suggestion to create a synesthetic experience in your students:
1. Link Words to Colors Through Guided Visualization
- How to Use It: Suggest that students imagine specific colors whenever they hear or read certain words. Start with simple exercises, such as associating emotions with colors (e.g., “red” for anger, “blue” for calm). Use guided visualization, asking them to close their eyes and imagine the word “calm” surrounded by blue light or the word “angry” glowing red.
- Effect: Over time, students may naturally start to associate the sounds or meanings of certain words with specific colors, similar to grapheme-color synesthesia.
- Example: “Imagine the word ‘happy’ surrounded by bright yellow light. Every time you hear or say ‘happy,’ picture it shining with this color.”
2. Use Music to Trigger Color or Emotion Associations
- How to Use It: Play music that evokes strong emotional responses and suggest that students associate the music with specific colors or emotional words. You could say, “When you hear this music, think of a bright blue color and feel calm” or “Imagine this music painting the room in warm oranges as you feel energized.”
- Effect: Through repetition, students may begin to feel a deeper connection between the sounds they hear and the colors or emotions you suggested, similar to chromesthesia.
- Example: “As you listen to this classical music, imagine it as a gentle green, bringing peace to the whole room.”
3. Suggest Textures with Words or Sounds
- How to Use It: When introducing new vocabulary, especially adjectives or descriptive words, suggest that students imagine feeling a texture when they hear or say the word. For instance, say, “When you hear the word ‘soft,’ imagine touching something velvety,” or “Think of the word ‘rough’ as a grainy sandpaper texture.”
- Effect: This could lead to a tactile association with language, where students “feel” words in their minds, resembling a tactile form of synesthesia.
- Example: “Every time you say the word ‘smooth,’ imagine your fingers gliding over a piece of silk.”
4. Use Taste or Smell Imagery with Vocabulary
- How to Use It: Suggest a specific taste or smell whenever a student hears or uses a particular word. This technique works especially well with food-related vocabulary or words associated with experiences. You might say, “When you hear the word ‘sweet,’ imagine tasting chocolate,” or “Every time you hear ‘lemon,’ think of its tangy, citrus smell.”
- Effect: By consistently pairing sensory imagery with language, students may start to experience words with a heightened sensory awareness, akin to lexical-gustatory synesthesia.
- Example: “Every time you say the word ‘spicy,’ imagine the hot, peppery taste in your mouth.”
5. Create Emotional Connections with Sound or Visual Stimuli
- How to Use It: Play certain sounds or show specific visuals, then suggest emotional or sensory responses that should follow. For example, show a picture of a bright sunrise and say, “Feel the warmth of this image as you say ‘hopeful’,” or play the sound of rainfall and suggest, “Imagine a cool, refreshing feeling as you hear this and think of the word ‘peaceful’.”
- Effect: This method could create a heightened emotional and sensory association with language, allowing students to connect words to more than just their meanings—just as someone with emotional synesthesia might.
- Example: “As you hear the sound of the ocean, picture yourself feeling calm and connected to the word ‘relaxation.'”
While not everyone has synesthesia, the power of suggestion can create strong mental associations that mimic this fascinating condition. By using visualization, sensory imagery, and emotional connections, TESOL teachers can tap into these techniques to deepen language learning. These methods encourage students to engage multiple senses, making the experience of language richer and more memorable.
Conclusion: Unlock the Power of Synesthesia in TESOL
While most students may not experience true synesthesia, integrating its principles into your TESOL lessons offers an exciting opportunity to transform language learning into a sensory-rich adventure. By making connections between language and sensory experiences, teachers can help students build stronger, more creative associations with English, improving both their proficiency and their enjoyment of the learning process.
Incorporating multisensory techniques based on synesthetic principles can make English lessons more vivid, engaging, and memorable—an essential toolkit for TESOL teachers looking to inspire creativity in the classroom.
