That may seem like a long time right now, but it will be here before you know it. If you have not started studying, begin as soon as possible. May 27 is when most of the spellers arrive in Washington, D.C. 265 days until the barbecue, 266 days until the Round 1 test, 267 days until the oral preliminary rounds, and 268 days until semifinals and finals.
Now that I am coaching more than one speller often, my friends and sister have been doing well in their studies. Perhaps one of them will make it to nationals in 2012.
I'm coaching three spellers from the same school. Two of them are currently eligible, while one has to wait another year to try and make it to the National Spelling Bee. I am also coaching spellers from my old schools, and a friend who moved to a different state (I coach him by email, but his parents help him, too). There are currently seven spellers in the club, even if I am still planning it.
I have decided to do Word of the Week now, instead of Word of the Day.
piezochemistry - \pee-ay-zoh-kem-i-stree; pee-ayt-soh-kem-i-stree; pI-ee-zoh-kem-i-stree\ [Greek + Greek] noun: scientific branch that studies the relationship between pressure and reactions
Good luck!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Persian/Sanskrit/Hindi Rules
Persian, Sanskrit, and Hindi are rare languages used at the National Spelling Bee.
A majority of Persian words go through Hindi, Arabic, Turkish, and Sanskrit.
Persian
The long e sound at the end of the word is spelled with an i. (examples: abbasi, tangi, kusti)
The g sound can be spelled with a g or gh. (examples: idgah, ispaghul, ghorkar)
The k sound can be spelled wiyh a c, k, or kh (examples: calean, kamboh, Bakhtiari)
There are many Sanskrit and Hindi words that are Hindu terms. They have also donated many words to the English language.
Sanskrit/Hindi
Silent h
bhutatathata (bh and th)
dharma (dh)
gymkhana (kh)
phansigar (ph)
The long "e" sound at the end of the word is spelled with an i. (examples: chhatri, pachisi, dhauri)
The schwa at the end of the word is spelled with an a or ah. (examples: mahatma, natya, almirah, khankah)
The "ana" sound is pronounced with a British accent at the end of the word. It is spelled as ana. (examples: jnana, zenana, dhyana)
Word of Yesterday - Wundtian \vunteean\ [German biographical name + English] of or relating to Wilhelm Wundt or his theories or investigations
Word of the Day - wurrup \wuh-ruhp\ [Australian native name] a hare wallaby of the central and western parts of Australia
A majority of Persian words go through Hindi, Arabic, Turkish, and Sanskrit.
Persian
The long e sound at the end of the word is spelled with an i. (examples: abbasi, tangi, kusti)
The g sound can be spelled with a g or gh. (examples: idgah, ispaghul, ghorkar)
The k sound can be spelled wiyh a c, k, or kh (examples: calean, kamboh, Bakhtiari)
There are many Sanskrit and Hindi words that are Hindu terms. They have also donated many words to the English language.
Sanskrit/Hindi
Silent h
bhutatathata (bh and th)
dharma (dh)
gymkhana (kh)
phansigar (ph)
The long "e" sound at the end of the word is spelled with an i. (examples: chhatri, pachisi, dhauri)
The schwa at the end of the word is spelled with an a or ah. (examples: mahatma, natya, almirah, khankah)
The "ana" sound is pronounced with a British accent at the end of the word. It is spelled as ana. (examples: jnana, zenana, dhyana)
Word of Yesterday - Wundtian \vunteean\ [German biographical name + English] of or relating to Wilhelm Wundt or his theories or investigations
Word of the Day - wurrup \wuh-ruhp\ [Australian native name] a hare wallaby of the central and western parts of Australia
Thursday, September 1, 2011
French Class - "I Recognize that Word!"
At my school it is required to take a language class. I am currently taking French and it is a very exciting class. There are so many words I recognize, because of the spelling bee. French used to be my least favorite origin to study, now it is my second.
Some of the words we have learned in French that have been used at the spelling bee:
devoir
devant
mademoiselle
noisette
rognon
echappe
rapprochement
eclat
ecrase
espadon
I asked, "What is swordfish in French?" My teacher replied, "Espadon". We really did not study these words, but I asked for them. Studying a lot of French-derived words for the spelling bee has been paying off in my French class.
Some of the words we have learned in French that have been used at the spelling bee:
devoir
devant
mademoiselle
noisette
rognon
echappe
rapprochement
eclat
ecrase
espadon
I asked, "What is swordfish in French?" My teacher replied, "Espadon". We really did not study these words, but I asked for them. Studying a lot of French-derived words for the spelling bee has been paying off in my French class.
Monday, August 29, 2011
My Competition Years for Scripps are Over
The competition years for the Scripps National Spelling Bee are over. I am still coaching my sister and she is excited! Today, I began high school and in my Honors English class, we will be learning Greek and Latin roots. I guess I will have background knowledge of that. I am also taking French, which will be very helpful for my sister in the Bee, who cannot take a language class yet. I will teach her the word patterns that I learn!
I am so excited for everything that will happen this year. High school is very different from Elementary and Junior High, but I know I can do it. If last year was your last year in the Bee, do not stop learning new words or spelling. There is still the AARP National Spelling Bee, and there are other Bees out there as well. I heard that someone is planning a High School National Spelling Bee, but it is online.
For you spellers who are still eligible, remember that every speller has to stop competing at Scripps one day. If you are a third grader and went to nationals, you still have five years remaining, but you will be finished competing at Scripps. Do not take any spelling bee moment for granted, because you never know if you will make it back to the National Spelling Bee.
Word of the Day
catafalque - /kad-uh-falk/ [Latin to Italian] structure used in churches in funerals
If I get too busy, I may be only posting Word of the Week. Good luck spellers!
I am so excited for everything that will happen this year. High school is very different from Elementary and Junior High, but I know I can do it. If last year was your last year in the Bee, do not stop learning new words or spelling. There is still the AARP National Spelling Bee, and there are other Bees out there as well. I heard that someone is planning a High School National Spelling Bee, but it is online.
For you spellers who are still eligible, remember that every speller has to stop competing at Scripps one day. If you are a third grader and went to nationals, you still have five years remaining, but you will be finished competing at Scripps. Do not take any spelling bee moment for granted, because you never know if you will make it back to the National Spelling Bee.
Word of the Day
catafalque - /kad-uh-falk/ [Latin to Italian] structure used in churches in funerals
If I get too busy, I may be only posting Word of the Week. Good luck spellers!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Portuguese Rules
Did you know that Portuguese has passed through non-European languages, such as Sanskrit, Arabic, and several African languages? Portuguese and Spanish are closely related, with a few exceptions.
The long "a" sound is spelled ei. (examples: pareira, capoeira, seringueiro)
The long "i" sound is spelled ai. (examples: coaita, saimiri, pirai)
The long "u" sound can be spelled u, o, or ou. (examples: murumuru, chocalho, chibigouazou)
The "sh" sound is spelled with an x. (examples: abacaxi, xarque, caixinha)
The "sh" sound at the beginning of the word is spelled with a ch. (examples: chamade, chamiso, chavante)
The "k" sound is spelled with a c or qu. (examples: candiru, callimico, jequitiba, macaque)
The "zh" sound is spelled with a j. (examples: feijoada, teju, acajou)
Portuguese is a rare language used at the National Spelling Bee. There will be one appearing up every now and then. If you know the rules, you will probably get the word right.
Tomorrow or whenever I can, I will post rules from Persian, Sanskrit, and Hindi.
The long "a" sound is spelled ei. (examples: pareira, capoeira, seringueiro)
The long "i" sound is spelled ai. (examples: coaita, saimiri, pirai)
The long "u" sound can be spelled u, o, or ou. (examples: murumuru, chocalho, chibigouazou)
The "sh" sound is spelled with an x. (examples: abacaxi, xarque, caixinha)
The "sh" sound at the beginning of the word is spelled with a ch. (examples: chamade, chamiso, chavante)
The "k" sound is spelled with a c or qu. (examples: candiru, callimico, jequitiba, macaque)
The "zh" sound is spelled with a j. (examples: feijoada, teju, acajou)
Portuguese is a rare language used at the National Spelling Bee. There will be one appearing up every now and then. If you know the rules, you will probably get the word right.
Tomorrow or whenever I can, I will post rules from Persian, Sanskrit, and Hindi.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Spelling Bee Studies for My Sister
Wow! My sister is getting better at spelling all the time. Just three days ago on the DS, she got a streak of 67 correctly spelled words! She even correctly spelled guilloche and she did not watch the 2006 National Spelling Bee with me.
Her favorite word is still Abib (aveev). I know she will do well in the spelling bee, not just because she is a good speller. When she reads, she writes down obscure words. She recently learned the word kibbutz in Left Behind.
Her goal this year is to make it the the championship finals. That was not my goal during my first year when I was eligible to compete. My goal was to make it to just make it to nationals. When I learned that I could have passed the test if I had made it to nationals, I wanted to advance to the quarterfinals or even semifinals the next year. I quizzed my sister on the test and she only missed two words: Bewusstseinslage and malocclusion. We both took the test at the same time the next year, but at home. She missed three words and I do not remember which ones she missed. I missed galimatias as galamatias. My sister did well with the test in 2009, 2010, and 2011, missing only one word in 2009 and 2010 (2009 - onychorrhexis ; 2010 - bouleversement). In 2011, she passed it.
We have been making a schedule for her now that she has started school. Are you spellers ready for school and the spelling bee? Good luck everyone!
Her favorite word is still Abib (aveev). I know she will do well in the spelling bee, not just because she is a good speller. When she reads, she writes down obscure words. She recently learned the word kibbutz in Left Behind.
Her goal this year is to make it the the championship finals. That was not my goal during my first year when I was eligible to compete. My goal was to make it to just make it to nationals. When I learned that I could have passed the test if I had made it to nationals, I wanted to advance to the quarterfinals or even semifinals the next year. I quizzed my sister on the test and she only missed two words: Bewusstseinslage and malocclusion. We both took the test at the same time the next year, but at home. She missed three words and I do not remember which ones she missed. I missed galimatias as galamatias. My sister did well with the test in 2009, 2010, and 2011, missing only one word in 2009 and 2010 (2009 - onychorrhexis ; 2010 - bouleversement). In 2011, she passed it.
We have been making a schedule for her now that she has started school. Are you spellers ready for school and the spelling bee? Good luck everyone!
Spanish Rules - Part 2
I have not posted anything for quite a while, because I have been getting ready for high school. Next Monday, I will continue the Word of the Day posts.
The long "e" followed by "yuh"/yoh" sound is spelled with an illa/illo. (examples: mantilla, banderilla, blanquillo, piloncillo)
The long "o" sound is spelled with an o. (examples: concho, zocalo, diablo)
The "h" sound is spelled with a j. (examples: jicama, zanja, aparejo)
The "k" sound can be spelled with a c or qu. (examples: cacao, cantina, quiaquia, quinta)
The "kay" sound is spelled que. (examples: quesadilla, quebrada*, quebracho)
The schwa at the end of the word is spelled with an a. (examples: bodega, junta, hacienda)
The letters ch and ll are considered single letters in Spanish.
A "th" sound will be spelled with a d if it is surrounded by vowels (examples: cogida, rejoneador, toreador)
*If any of you spellers have heard of the song Sambalele in Portuguese, they use the word quebrada. If you have taken Spanish or studied this word, do you wonder why it was used in the song? Portuguese and Spanish have a very close relationship, because they have many similarities in spelling, but Portuguese has some spellings that make it unique from Spanish. I will be writing about Portuguese rules starting tomorrow or whenever I can.
The long "e" followed by "yuh"/yoh" sound is spelled with an illa/illo. (examples: mantilla, banderilla, blanquillo, piloncillo)
The long "o" sound is spelled with an o. (examples: concho, zocalo, diablo)
The "h" sound is spelled with a j. (examples: jicama, zanja, aparejo)
The "k" sound can be spelled with a c or qu. (examples: cacao, cantina, quiaquia, quinta)
The "kay" sound is spelled que. (examples: quesadilla, quebrada*, quebracho)
The schwa at the end of the word is spelled with an a. (examples: bodega, junta, hacienda)
The letters ch and ll are considered single letters in Spanish.
A "th" sound will be spelled with a d if it is surrounded by vowels (examples: cogida, rejoneador, toreador)
*If any of you spellers have heard of the song Sambalele in Portuguese, they use the word quebrada. If you have taken Spanish or studied this word, do you wonder why it was used in the song? Portuguese and Spanish have a very close relationship, because they have many similarities in spelling, but Portuguese has some spellings that make it unique from Spanish. I will be writing about Portuguese rules starting tomorrow or whenever I can.
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