All-in-one 2-Block Alternative Ben System

This is an all-in-one alternative Ben System. As @TheHumanTim is doing here, the idea is to divide the suit pairs and encode them using a person or an object depending on the color of the first suit.

The following is the relationship between ranks and phonemes:
image
The phonemes are according to IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet).

Compared with the Major System, this table has “t,” “p,” and “k” representing 11 (J), 12(Q), and 13 (K), respectively. The ranks A and 10 are represented by 1 and 10, respectively.

The vowels also represent numbers, which in turn encode suit pairs:

image

Notice that suit pairs starting with red are encoded by people and those starting with black are encoded by objects.

In order to read the words, follow these rules:

  1. The word is only read up to the second consonant.
  2. Spaces, hyphens, dashes, silent consonants, or invalid consonant sounds are completely ignored, so the word is read as if they didn’t exist.

What matters for the vowels isn’t the sound, but rather the letter used. For consonants, what matters is the sound.

Following these, we have a pattern for how the words are formed according to the number of digits:

1-Digit Words
Sequences: C, V (there can’t be anything after).

Examples: L (Death Note), Yi (Abominable), Io (Code Vein), yoyo (toy).

2-Digit Words
Sequences: CC or VC (if the former, then there may be other letters ahead because they won’t be read. The former sequence is preferable).

Examples:
Plate, Fred (The Flintstones), Scooby-doo (Scooby-Doo), glass.

3-Digit Words
Sequences: CVC.

Examples: door, cobweb, He-Man (Masters of the Universe), Saitama (One-Punch Man).

Cards
Using the tables above, follow this order:
First rank - suit pair - Second rank
Which is a CVC or 3-digit format.

If you wish to memorize jokers, use 3-digit numbers with the vowels for 8 and 9.

Binary
This system is consistent with 2-Block Binary, which allows you to memorize 10 binary digits per image.

Progress
After memorizing 676 people, the mnemonist may start memorizing decks using Variable Spatial Encoding. The explanation for this can be found here.

After memorizing 676 objects too, it’s possible to start using the Double-2-Block System.

After memorizing 1000 people and 1000 objects, you can start practicing 2-Block Binary and PO for decimals.

After 1352 people and 1352 objects, the full 2-card system is complete.

2 Likes

Nice.

This is more for folks who don’t have an existing number system. The justifications for phonetic mapping are logical and are familiar enough for those used to Major already. Will be a little bit of extra challenge to limit construction options for 1’s, 7’s, and 9’s do to splitting those phonetics off in order to accommodate the J, Q, K, but I don’t see a way around that without introducing new phonetics like H, W, or Y into the mix.

Only thing I’d suggest is to change the number/vowel mapping. Since word construction is based on the actual vowel letters and not the sounds, it may be more intuitive to map them based on visual resemblance to the numbers. (I may have talked about this in another thread somewhere, can’t remember where. Ironic. :stuck_out_tongue: )

0 looks like O
1 looks like I
2 looks like a sideways U
3 is a backwards E
4 looks like A

There are some similar visual links to the higher numbers too:

5 = Ux (again that open curve shape of the U)
6 = Ex (a lowercase e, flipped upside down)
7 = Ix (simple line for an I)
8 = 0x (looks like OO flipped sideways)
9 = Ax (looks like a lowercase a with an exaggerated trunk/tail)

Or you could just add 5 to the number map and make it:

5 - O
6 - I
7 - U
8 - E
9 - A

Either way, sensible system. Really like the targeted tiers of progression to build up to full 2704 via those different techniques!

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You know, I even considered ditching my current system for this one because mine doesn’t allow for a full 2-card system, but, after some thought, I don’t care about card memorization enough to do that.

Indeed, so I tried to pick the phonemes that have the greatest amount of options.

Haha, yes, you did talk about it. It was in our discussion on a 4-digit system.

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