Ways to Improve Your MUN Vocabulary by Selen GÜNERİ

MUN conferences all around the world mostly proceed in English. Not all participants are fluent in English but it is crucial to know basic grammar and have a good vocabulary. During a conference, delegates and the Chairboard may use advanced words to express themselves better and make the speech more impressive. To be able to fully understand and participate in the debate, you would need a good vocabulary.

As it proceeds in English, MUN improves your language skills besides speaking, writing, and productivity. Improving vocabulary in certain areas and topics will also be helpful during times of college and/or job applications. To help you both with your MUN conferences and language skills, here are some ways to improve your MUN vocabulary.

OUTSIDE OF MUN

Whether or not you are a part of an MUN club, doing things outside of MUN can always be of your benefit.

Following the news is one. You can reach international news such as CNN, BBC, and FOX News; by podcasts, YouTube, and some TV channels. Helping you with improving your vocabulary, this will also help you keep updated about world news so that if you attend a conference sometime soon, you will be familiar with the agenda items and its vocabulary – it is possible to see that study guides are mainly referenced by news articles.

Another one is to read articles, like this one, aside from news. You can improve yourself by reading as much as listening. Not only articles but mostly MUN related content can improve your vocabulary and MUN skills in general.

DURING CONFERENCES

There are many ways to improve yourself with a conference, one of them is while preparing. Doing your research, you can use sources of your native tongue to understand the topic better. However, doing your research mostly in English is going to be much more helpful during the committee. While reading documents or watching helpful videos about the agenda item, you can write down all of the words you do not know the meaning of/have trouble remembering. Having something like a dictionary will help you remember the words. In addition, writing down sentences besides the words’ meanings can help you while using the words in different places. To be more comfortable and avoid the wrong usage you can repeat certain words in different sentences by yourself.

Because writing down words while preparing bits of help, doing the same whilst the conference can also improve you. During the debate when a delegate says something, you don’t know the meaning of, write the word/phrase down to your dictionary-like papers, as you do with your research. Expanding it, you will see the improvements in your vocabulary, and each time you come across any of the words you can just take a look at your dictionary.

There are lots of opportunities in MUN for you to make a speech. In your speeches, try to use the words you are not yet comfortable with, for the words to set in. While preparing speeches, try to use your own words and expressions as well. Even if you are taking inspiration from another source, paraphrasing will help you with different synonyms.

All in all, similar to MUN, language skills are based on experience and repetition. The more you practice the better your vocabulary will get.

SPECIFIC VOCABULARY FOR DIFFERENT COMMITTEES

Each Committee focuses on different topics and some of these issues develop around vocabulary that you might have never heard of before. It is therefore important for you to know the exact definition of words, in that situation. Usually, the study guides also include a section for important vocabulary. Those sections may look something like this:

DISEC

• Conflict: A serious disagreement
• Warfare: Activities regarding a conflict
• Sanction: A penalty for disobeying a certain agreement
• Reconciliation: Establishing friendly relations after a conflict.
• Arsenal: A collection of weapons and military equipment.
• Deploy: To move forces to position for military action.
• Ratify: To officially put a treaty or agreement into action by validating it.
• Provocation: An action taken by an adversary in order to escalate the conflict.
• Espionage: Using spies to obtain information about adversaries.

ECOSOC

• Recession: Economic decline, fall in GDP for a certain period
• Profit: The financial gain, the difference between the money spent and earned
• Investment: A process of funding for a profit
• Deflation: A decrease in general price levels of goods and services. Opposite of inflation.
• Transaction: The monetary transfer caused by buying or selling a good or service.
• Arbitrage: Buying an asset and selling it in a different market than the one it is bought from at the same time, in order to make profit using the price differences between markets.

UNHRC

• Covenant: An agreement between sides
• Tribunals: A court with the authority to deal with international issues
• Obligation: A mandatory act, being forced to do something as a duty
• Discrimination: Unjust treatment of people based on their sex, age, race etc.
• Stigma: A mark of disapproval and prejudice against a person’s certain characteristics, serving to discriminate against people with certain qualities.
• Harassment: Actions towards a person that causes mental and/or physical suffering.
• Privacy: Right of a person to keep their personal information secret.

NATO

• Treaty: Formal agreement between countries
• Solidarity: Different sides supporting each other regarding the same aim or opinion
• Hostility: Unfriendly behavior towards another
• Consensus: Oneness of opinion or vote within a group.
• Burden-sharing: Distribution of costs and responsibilities among allies.
• Initiative: A plan or process to achieve something.
• Non-state actor: An entity that is not a country, holding power and taking part in a conflict.
• Adversary: Adversaries of a country are state or non-state actors whose interests are against its own interests.
• Consultation: The process of seeking information from other countries.
• Deterrence: Discouraging adversaries from taking action using power.
• Counter: To resist hostile action.
• Aggression: Action that threatens an entity or its interests.
• Asset: A useful or valuable thing contributing to a country’s power

COMMON USED MUN PHRASES

Motion to Adjourn the session/meeting: This motion is given when the delegates want to end the session.
Motion for a moderated/unmoderated/semi-moderated caucus: A caucus is basically debating for a period of time that the delegate(proposer) determines. It can be moderated by the chair board in different degrees.

Motion to Follow Up: This motion is given when a delegate that has asked a point of information has another question regarding the answer.
Motion to Introduce…: This motion can be given when a delegate wants to introduce their resolution, amendment, or directive to the committee.
Point of Information: The points of information that are given to the chair board are about the agenda item or the previous speaker about their speech.
Point of Order.: This point can be given to the chair board when a delegate thinks there was something wrong about the procedure.
Point of Personal Privilege: When a delegate has a personal problem regarding audibility, visibility, etc. they can give this point to solve the issue.
Point of Parliamentary Inquiry: This point can be given when the delegate has a question about the procedure.
Yielding Time/ the Floor: After the delegates are done with their speeches, they can yield their remaining time or the floor to point of information, another delegate, or back to the chair board.
Rising and Stating: When the chair board asks a delegate to rising and state, the delegate should stand up and proceed with their speech/motion/point.

You can add more vocabulary by writing in the comment section.

Selen GÜNERİ

Member of the Content Producer Team