Italian Rules - Part 1

Sorry for the long wait, but I will start posting the Italian rules! If you play an instrument and you receive music term at the National Spelling Bee, it is most likely Italian. I recently played a song called Romanze by Schumann, and I have to play it semplice, affettuoso. If you receive a food word, it may be Italian. Food from Italy is very delicious. In my food and nutrition class, I did a report on Italian food. Here are some: gnocchi, prosciutto, Bolognese, and perciatelli. (See more explanations at the bottom)

In choir, there was a section in one of our songs that was in Italian, but some of us thought it was Latin. Latin has a big impact on Italian.

Now for some rules:

The long "a" sound at the end of the word is spelled with an e. (examples: tagliatelle, pappardelle, scintillante)

The long "e" sound at the end of the word can be spelled with an i or e. (examples: fettuccelle, brindisi, ziti, cannelloni, panettone, lazzarone)

The long "e" + long "o" sound at the end of the word. (examples: atrio, nuncio, capriccio)


Hints for Italian:

Whenever you go to a restaurant, read the menus because there are a lot of words to learn. Before the 2010 National Spelling Bee, I went to Olive Garden and learned several words. Gnocchi was one of the words I encountered. I tried it and it was pretty good. A few weeks later, the word was used at the National Spelling Bee.

If you play an instrument, pay attention to the words. Some are giocoso, siciliano, semplice, sonata, concerto, fughetta, acciaccatura and arioso. The winning word in 2005 is an Italian word. What word is it? Appoggiatura. This word is also in Suzuki Flute School Volume 5 and 6. Paying attention to words pays off, too!

Origins I Will Post Over the Next Few Weeks

Here are some origins that I will write about over the next few weeks:

Italian
Japanese
Spanish
Arabic
Sanskrit/Hindi
Turkish
Greek/Latin
Slavic
Imitative/Unknown Origin
Uncommon Origins: Mayan, Tagalog, Icelandic, Basque, Welsh, Gaelic, Chinese, and others

Do not get worried if I miss an entire week of posting or even longer, because I still have more homework to do after my Geometry classes.

In fact, I will post videos of some of the origins (if I have time). If I can use my dad's video camera and video editor, the words will show up as I say them. If I cannot, I will have to spell or write them on my board. I will also sing a song from each language if I know any.

I Guess I Will Be Learning Afrikaans and Zulu

Other than learning French, I guess I will have to learn Afrikaans and Zulu. Why? I recently learned that the tour group of my choir is going to South Africa next year! It is either that or the World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio. My choir apparently has gone on so many tours, but I do not think there has been one since 2006. I will name some places: Jerusalem, a lot of places in China (Xiamen - 2006 World Choir Games, Guilin, Xian, and many more places), England, Norway, D.C., Jordan, and New York City. The choir has gone to places multiple times, and our choir director does not remember everywhere we've been to.

Here are some Zulu-derived words:

mbaqanga
impala
mamba
indaba

I posted Afrikaans words several weeks ago, so check that out.

I am just so excited for the tour even if it is a year away! We were invited by the Drakensberg Boys Choir director, and the invitation was accepted! I also hope we go to the World Choir Games, too!

Watch Replays of the 2011 National Spelling Bee/"Is it Just My Luck, or am I Getting All French Words?"

Do you want to watch the moments of the 2011 National Spelling Bee, again? You can by watching replays at this website http://espn.go.com/espn3/index/_/sport/kids. Make sure you click the button by All Times Eastern, then click on All. After, go down and choose a video to watch.

If you do not have ESPN or your parents are watching the NBA Finals, you can watch on the website live! It is free and you can also do the Play Along Version. I used this version from Rounds 2-20. It was very fun and I felt like I was still competing! For you spellers, this is good training. Listen to all the information (that is if the spellers ask for anything), then pay attention to every letter. Before, I had to cover up the word, then write it in my notebook, but now, I get to spell along (I still have to write the words in my notebook).

In 2003, Samir Patel asked, "Is it just my luck, or am I getting all French words?" An origin that has so many confusing rules. Since 2009, one speller (Nicholas Rushlow) has always received French words in Round 4. (2009 - noisette, 2010 - devant (divon), 2011 - devoir). In every spelling bee I have been in since fifth grade, I have always received a French word in Round 5. I did get a few later, but my French words always began in Round 5. I have only missed two French words in competition, but never in Round 5.

Summer is Almost Over

There is exactly a month and nine days away from my first day of high school! Summer was pretty fun this year, but it feels so much slower than 2005-2010. I have been finishing Webster's Third (I have the X, Y, and Z sections to finish), doing Geometry (This class is really fun, especially constructions and all the Algebra in it), reading, writing, playing my flute; piano, blogging, camping, and spending time with cousins. Enjoy your summer and continue studying!

I will start posting Italian rules tomorrow or Friday, so I have time to post a lot.
I will begin writing a spelling bee book to help aid spellers. The book will be called Spell with Your Heart! I cannot post a lot today, because I have a test tomorrow! Good luck with spelling!

German Rules - Part 2

In the past, I have read a lot of books on World War 2/the Holocaust. There are a lot of good German-originated words in them, but I had to look each one up in Webster's Third. Some words are austausch, Anschluss, and blitzkrieg.  Here are some World War 2 books I recommend, The Diary of a Young Girl, The Hiding Place, Four Perfect Pebbles, Biography of Anne Frank: The Biography, Survivors, and Number the Stars (this was my favorite book when I was a little girl). You will learn a lot of new words from these books,

Here is a list of books on the Holocaust:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1720.Best_Holocaust_Books

Time for more German rules:

The "ch" and "sh" sounds are spelled sch. (examples: seneschal, kitsch, bergschrund) Glitch is an exception to this rule.

The "k" is spelled with a g. (examples: Bundestag, Jugendstil)

The "k" + guttural sounds is spelled lich (examples: geistlich, frohlich). In choir, the director says it is very important to pronounce the ch words with the guttural sounds, or else the Germans will laugh (I don't know if that's true, but the director said it). In songs such as "Stille Nacht" (Silent Night), "O Come, Little Children" (which we have a verse in German: "Ihr Kinderlein Kommet"), "Ade zur Guten Nacht" (Farewell and Goodnight), and "Kling Glockchen" (Ring, Little Bell), there are so many words with the guttural sound.

The "v" sound is spelled with a w. (examples: Weimaraner, leberwurst, weltpolitik)

German Dog Breeds: Did you know that German has several names of dog breeds?

Here are some:
affenpinscher
Doberman
dachshund
Weimaraner

I do not believe that I finished the German section earlier than I expected. There are thousands of more rules to look up. Whenever I can, I will start doing Italian-derived words. If you love food and/or you are a musician, you may recognize a lot of these words.

German Rules - Part 1

I love spelling German words, and I love saying them. My favorite word is Bewusstseinslage, which is German. Did you know that German has an enormous influence on the English language? Did you know when you are saying "gesundheit" after someone sneezes, you are speaking German? My favorite Christmas carols are originally German, but they were translated to English. In fact, German is my favorite language to study for the spelling bee.

If you know your German roots very well, you will have no trouble figuring out a word, unless there is no specific root the word comes from.

Here are some words that have certain roots:

gemeinde - German root meaning "common, general"
gemeinschaft - same as gemeinde's root + German root schaft meaning "ship"
heiligenschein - German root heilig meaning "holy" + German root schein meaning "shine"
nachtmusik - German root nacht meaning "night" + German root musik meaning "music"
caffeol - German root kaffee meaning "coffee" (That may throw you off a bit, but this word also contains the International Scientific Vocabulary root ol meaning "a chemical compound containing hydroxyl").

Let's get some rules in:

German words use k's, ck's, and ch's very often. They tend to avoid c's, except if the word comes from a different language. (examples: glockenspiel, geistlich).

I have been wondering where the "i" came from, but my guess is the "i" after the "e". If my sister makes it nationals next year, I will have to ask him.

The long "e" sound is spelled ie. (examples: vorspiel, kunstlied)

The long "i" sound is spelled ei. (examples: Fahrenheit, gneiss, schwamerei, schalstein)

The "f" sound is spelled with a v. (examples: volkerwanderung, vorlage, leitmotiv)

The schwa is usually spelled with an e. (examples: Bewusstseinslage, gemeinde, pickelhaube)

Those are all the rules I will post today, but I will write on about schwas in German.

If you do not know what a schwa is, here is the definition: "neutral vowel sound, usually an unstressed syllable".

Whenever we learn a German song in choir, the director says it is extremely important to pronounce the schwas correctly. When we say guten (which is German for good), we must say it "goo-tuhn". In Stille Nacht (Silent Night), stille is pronounced (shtee-luh), this also goes for heilige, traute, Knabe, lockigen, and other words. (These words are not in Webster's Third. They are original German words that have never gone into English)
German is a very fun origin, and I will continue writing whenever I can this week!