Some readers' responses to "Is the Eiken doing learners more harm than good?" by Hans Karlsson (Learning Curve, June 9):
I'm afraid I do not agree with some of the things you wrote in your article.
I know a lot of people say rote learning is bad, but is it? If you are truly serious about learning a foreign language and are short of time, rote learning is definitely something you should incorporate in your study. Otherwise, how can you expect to increase your vocabulary to a meaningful communicative level unless you are gifted and have an exceptionally good memory? However, if you rely too much on rote learning alone to increase your vocabulary, it could result in poor retainment, as the article said. It must, of course, be combined with other activities like reading, listening, speaking and writing.