NationStates Jolt Archive

My son won spelling champ of his junior high two months ago and is now on to the next step toward the national spelling bee. Tonight, he competes in a multi county competition at a nearby university.
We have been studying hard every day.

I think I'm more nervous than he is.

I'm having a hard time supporting and encouraging him without increasing the pressure on him. Parents out there will understand-you want your child to win, but you'll be happy if they just do their best.

I dont know if this competition will be difficult or a breeze to him. We are studying from the paedia dictionary,which is the source of most of the national competition words.

break a leg

break a leg


thanks

Hey that's really cool, man. It's awesome seeing your children succeed isn't it? I always like seeing my kids do something I could never do ... like spell very well.

Kudos to your son! Will we get to see him on ESPN for the nationals? That'd rock.

I'm having a hard time supporting and encouraging him without increasing the pressure on him. Parents out there will understand-you want your child to win, but you'll be happy if they just do their best.

You could say "show 'em what you're made of". That implies "do well", without explicitly stating it....

Hey that's really cool, man. It's awesome seeing your children succeed isn't it? I always like seeing my kids do something I could never do ... like spell very well.

Kudos to your son! Will we get to see him on ESPN for the nationals? That'd rock.

Thanks- it is great to see them succeed-especially when it makes them happy too.

If he makes it through tonight, he will return for part two on Thursday night.

And then,yes-he will then be in the national competition May 31st & June 1st. He still has no idea what a big deal it is.

Spelling contests? That's so cute. Would never work here.

Exciting and nerve wracking stuff! May he have tonnes of fun!

Spelling contests? That's so cute. Would never work here.

Are you saying that all swedes are as good at spelling as you, or the opposite?

Yeah, you couldn't have spelling contests in Spanish either. The spelling is phonetic.

Are you saying that all swedes are as good at spelling as you, or the opposite?

The language is just not suited for spelling contests, as the written language has quite uniform spelling that can be deduced from the pronunciation. The few difficulties there are, are mostly concerned with the spelling of the voiceless dorso-palatal velar fricative and the doubling of consonants, and those are pretty easy to master.

The language is just not suited for spelling contests, as the written language has quite uniform spelling that can be deduced from the pronunciation. The few difficulties there are, are mostly concerned with the spelling of the voiceless dorso-palatal velar fricative and the doubling of consonants, and those are pretty easy to master.

What does dorso-palatal mean? I've heard of a voiceless velar fricative though.

The language is just not suited for spelling contests, as the written language has quite uniform spelling that can be deduced from the pronunciation. The few difficulties there are, are mostly concerned with the spelling of the voiceless dorso-palatal velar fricative and the doubling of consonants, and those are pretty easy to master.

We're looking at dozens of exceptions and contradictions.

my son seems to have a photographic memory-at least part of the time. The words he misses, he is writing 5 times each in a notebook to solidify it in his memory. Then, I go through those at random the next time we study and so far, on the second time around, he has gotten them all correct.
It looks like its working. He was already an avid reader, so he surprises me with words he already knows.

Exciting and nerve wracking stuff! May he have tonnes of fun!


damnit,woman- its: "TON", T-O-N "TON".

What does dorso-palatal mean? I've heard of a voiceless velar fricative though.

That you pronounce it with the back part of your tongue approximating the velum and the hard palate. However, the place of articulation is disputed, hence the alternative names: voiceless postalveolar and velar fricative, voiceless coarticulated velar and palatoalveolar fricative and voiceless palatal-velar fricative.

damnit,woman- its: "TON", T-O-N "TON".
I knew that'd cause your gears to grind. But I'm talking a metric tonne, which is cooler anyway.

I knew that'd cause your gears to grind. But I'm talking a metric tonne, which is cooler anyway.

always grappling at my gears, you.

damnit,woman- its: "TON", T-O-N "TON".

Not if metric.

That you pronounce it with the back part of your tongue approximating the velum and the hard palate. However, the place of articulation is disputed, hence the alternative names: voiceless postalveolar and velar fricative, voiceless coarticulated velar and palatoalveolar fricative and voiceless palatal-velar fricative.

:confused: uh, you mean the correct place of articulation is disputed causing varying pronunciation, or the actual place used in correct pronunciation is disputed. (I dont actually know much about linguistics, I should point out)

We're looking at dozens of exceptions and contradictions.

my son seems to have a photographic memory-at least part of the time. The words he misses, he is writing 5 times each in a notebook to solidify it in his memory. Then, I go through those at random the next time we study and so far, on the second time around, he has gotten them all correct.
It looks like its working. He was already an avid reader, so he surprises me with words he already knows.

I guess you're constrained to US spelling. I'd be eliminated very early on, then.

I guess you're constrained to US spelling. I'd be eliminated very early on, then.

I'd need to hire a lawyer to explain the rules to me-they are three pages long- but I assume you're correct.

My son won spelling champ of his junior high two months ago and is now on to the next step toward the national spelling bee. Tonight, he competes in a multi county competition at a nearby university.
We have been studying hard every day.

I think I'm more nervous than he is.

I'm having a hard time supporting and encouraging him without increasing the pressure on him. Parents out there will understand-you want your child to win, but you'll be happy if they just do their best.

I dont know if this competition will be difficult or a breeze to him. We are studying from the paedia dictionary,which is the source of most of the national competition words.
**********************************************************
Congratulations! I wish you and your son much success in the upcoming competition.

:confused: uh, you mean the correct place of articulation is disputed causing varying pronunciation, or the actual place used in correct pronunciation is disputed. (I dont actually know much about linguistics, I should point out)

Kind of both, even if the pronunciation itself isn't that varied. Read about it in the fricative section here. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_phonology)

I'd need to hire a lawyer to explain the rules to me-they are three pages long- but I assume you're correct.

Spelling rules? I'm glad that my brain covers those rules unconsciously. Though I think it mostly just memorises the spelling of each word regardless of irregularity. I remember reading "quoff" and thinking "that's spelled wrong... what the hell does quaff mean anyway?"

.. as the written language has quite uniform spelling that can be deduced from the pronunciation ..
Just too bad that this doesn't mean one can deduct the pronounciation from the spelling. I'll petition for the introduction of actual accent markers in Swedish.

I have, by the way, seen some of these spelling bee thingies on TV when in the US, and I must say that I was impressed with all the words these little kids could do. But I think the most impressive part was that they were allowed to ask the origin of the word, as in e.g. th elanguage it once came from, as a clue, and usually were able to work it out then. That showed that they actually had an understanding of how the spelling worked instead of just being a super-memorizer, and such.

Good luck to your son, anyway, CL. How old is he, if I may ask?

Just too bad that this doesn't mean one can deduct the pronounciation from the spelling. I'll petition for the introduction of actual accent markers in Swedish.

That would make every word contain one! Our prosody will just never allow it.

That would make every word contain one! Our prosody will just never allow it.
Well, so be it! Allow for the beauty to spread by making it manageable somehow, anything else would be oh so very selfish.

Well, so be it! Allow for the beauty to spread by making it manageable somehow, anything else would be oh so very selfish.

Never. You must work for the glory.

Never. You must work for the glory.
To work I'm willing, to exhaust myself over the straining of any sense of logic and customary pronounciation, I am not.
I guess I'll work on my sense of logic, now, as giving up has never been an option.

To work I'm willing, to exhaust myself over the straining of any sense of logic and customary pronounciation, I am not.
I guess I'll work on my sense of logic, now, as giving up has never been an option.

I'm sorry, but a German complaining at a "sense of logic and customary pronounciation[sic!]" is rich.

I'm sorry, but a German complaining at a "sense of logic and customary pronounciation[sic!]" is rich.
You are not. But unfortunately, you are, umm, somewhat not all that terribly wrong. Which is, of course, never to be confused with you being right, but, you know,..*wanders off mumbling incoherently*

Way to go little CL! Thats really wonderful love. I certainly know what you mean about wanting them to succeed and being proud for them doing their best.I cant wait to hear how tonight goes:)

**********************************************************
Congratulations! I wish you and your son much success in the upcoming competition.


Thanks! He's home from school now and when he's done with homework, we'll have a little time to study some more.

Way to go little CL! Thats really wonderful love. I certainly know what you mean about wanting them to succeed and being proud for them doing their best.I cant wait to hear how tonight goes:)


You'll know if he is elminated tonight-I probably wont update this thread. *L*

Kick some ass!

I'll be the loud abnoxious guy in the crowd with the large sign. ;)

Just too bad that this doesn't mean one can deduct the pronounciation from the spelling. I'll petition for the introduction of actual accent markers in Swedish.

I have, by the way, seen some of these spelling bee thingies on TV when in the US, and I must say that I was impressed with all the words these little kids could do. But I think the most impressive part was that they were allowed to ask the origin of the word, as in e.g. th elanguage it once came from, as a clue, and usually were able to work it out then. That showed that they actually had an understanding of how the spelling worked instead of just being a super-memorizer, and such.

Good luck to your son, anyway, CL. How old is he, if I may ask?

Yep-the studying entails a lot of word-origins, prefix & suffix, etc... Not just flat out memorizing.
The ones I've seen on TV seem pretty tense, with kids fainting and all. I'm hoping it isnt like that.

Thanks! He is 12 yrs old.

You'll know if he is elminated tonight-I probably wont update this thread. *L*

that wont keep me from asking how'd it go via tg

Kick some ass!

I'll be the loud abnoxious guy in the crowd with the large sign. ;)


Thanks! As long as the sign has answers on it, thats fine.

Thanks! As long as the sign has answers on it, thats fine.

*grabs dictionary*

that wont keep me from asking how'd it go via tg

I am looking foward to celebrating either way. Even if he's eliminated tonight-he was still his school champion. His name is on the website as champ, as well as on a huge billboard on the highway near the school. its part of his academic records now.

Winning further would be sweet. It would go so well on a transcript.

I think the prize for winning tha national bee is $50,000.00. Thats good, but the notoriety it brings is worth more.

*grabs dictionary*

make sure its the paideia dictionary

The ones I've seen on TV seem pretty tense, with kids fainting and all. I'm hoping it isnt like that.

Thanks! He is 12 yrs old.

Well, you know, any higher-up academic tournament tends to be that way (tense, I mean), I'd be surprised to find the spelling bee contest any different. But, you mentioned multi-county, meaning it's still below state level? That should not have them fainting yet, then, I hope. :)

I am looking foward to celebrating either way.
Good. Don't be one of those parents who forget the massive achievements their kids already have just because they could have gone even higher.

GOOD NEWS!!

My son survived tonight's round and has to return Thursday night,same time and place. So far, he had no trouble with any words

About 75 kids were eliminated tonight. There had to be a thousand or more people in this theater and I still cant believe my son spoke on stage into a microphone. This is huge for him.

And we get an extra day to study now.

I couldnt be more proud-We are really excited here.

Well, you know, any higher-up academic tournament tends to be that way (tense, I mean), I'd be surprised to find the spelling bee contest any different. But, you mentioned multi-county, meaning it's still below state level? That should not have them fainting yet, then, I hope. :)


Good. Don't be one of those parents who forget the massive achievements their kids already have just because they could have gone even higher.

If he wins this one, he will be one of several children from NJ to go to Washington in May-each state will send more than one

GOOD NEWS!!

My son survived tonight's round and has to return Thursday night,same time and place. So far, he had no trouble with any words

About 75 kids were eliminated tonight. There had to be a thousand or more people in this theater and I still cant believe my son spoke on stage into a microphone. This is huge for him.

And we get an extra day to study now.

I couldnt be more proud-We are really excited here.

Congratulations!

Congratulations!


Thanks!! I had to laugh as there was a guy there holding a sign up, but it had his daughter's name and hearts all over it.

GOOD NEWS!!

My son survived tonight's round and has to return Thursday night,same time and place. So far, he had no trouble with any words

About 75 kids were eliminated tonight. There had to be a thousand or more people in this theater and I still cant believe my son spoke on stage into a microphone. This is huge for him.

And we get an extra day to study now.

I couldnt be more proud-We are really excited here.
awesome awesome and double awesome (okay triple) I am so proud of your kid and I don't even know your kid (must be hormones.) :D

Thanks!! I had to laugh as there was a guy there holding a sign up, but it had his daughter's name and hearts all over it.

Yeah they caught me at the door :(

GOOD NEWS!!

My son survived tonight's round and has to return Thursday night,same time and place. So far, he had no trouble with any words

About 75 kids were eliminated tonight. There had to be a thousand or more people in this theater and I still cant believe my son spoke on stage into a microphone. This is huge for him.

And we get an extra day to study now.

I couldnt be more proud-We are really excited here.

Good news indeed. Say congrats to your son. As far as I can draw assumptions from that other thread some time ago, this really must be very huge for him.
Good luck for the next event, and keep remembering to be supportive without pushing. (sorry, not thinking you would, but pet peeve)

awesome awesome and double awesome (okay triple) I am so proud of your kid and I don't even know your kid (must be hormones.) :D


thanks! Its good to see kids succeed, even when they arent yours.

I know last night, I felt bad when other kids were eliminated.

But- not that bad. *L*

Good news indeed. Say congrats to your son. As far as I can draw assumptions from that other thread some time ago, this really must be very huge for him.
Good luck for the next event, and keep remembering to be supportive without pushing. (sorry, not thinking you would, but pet peeve)


Thank you. The best part is, he now sees winning is withing his grasp. He went in saying he's sure he wont win. I reminded him he may have felt the same way the day before he beat everyone in his school.

Tommorrow night is the final in this- according to the paper, there are only 33 kids remaining now. There will be just one winner tommorrow night. Then each state send several children to the national competition.

There is a fine line between supporting and pushing. Right now, he is eager to study the guide/dictionary, so my wife and I are both doing it with him.

I'm pretty optimistic. He has an excellent chance of winning, or placing in second or third.

Aww, go him. :)

I say it's super when someone finds something they're good at.

Aww, go him. :)

I say it's super when someone finds something they're good at.


Thanks. I agree.

Congrats to your kid!

Congrats to your kid!

Thanks!

Ok...tonight is the night.

There are 33 kids remaining, including my son. Tonight, there will be one winner and two runners up. 2nd and 3rd place get little trophies.

First place goes on to the national event in Washington, a large 1st place trophy, a wall certificate, a tshirt, an Outback Steakhouse Gift certificate and some other stuff. Also- an expenses paid trip to Washington for him and one adult for several days and nights to compete in the Washington contest.

The title of tricounty spelling champ is so close right now. He really wants to go to Washington now. I think he is surprised at how close he is now to winning.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Ok...tonight is the night.

There are 33 kids remaining, including my son. Tonight, there will be one winner and two runners up. 2nd and 3rd place get little trophies.

First place goes on to the national event in Washington, a large 1st place trophy, a wall certificate, a tshirt, an Outback Steakhouse Gift certificate and some other stuff. Also- an expenses paid trip to Washington for him and one adult for several days and nights to compete in the Washington contest.

The title of tricounty spelling champ is so close right now. He really wants to go to Washington now. I think he is surprised at how close he is now to winning.

Keep your fingers crossed.

I have my fingers crossed. This is an important matter on a number of levels.

Nuts to Washington, though... the BIG prize here is the gift certificate for food.... :)

I have my fingers crossed. This is an important matter on a number of levels.

Nuts to Washington, though... the BIG prize here is the gift certificate for food.... :)

Great minds think alike. You stole my post.

Great minds think alike. You stole my post.


Winning in Washington DC does have a $50,000.00 prize as well. A nice deposit on a collecge education.

As I said before, winning in DC would look good on a transcript too.


We'll see what happens. A few months ago, he would have laughed if you told him he'd get this far.

And the best part is, my 7 yr old son has been pretty involved and interested in the whole thing. He talks about what he'll do when he is in the competition.

As a dad, I feel like a winner.

Ok...tonight is the night.

There are 33 kids remaining, including my son. Tonight, there will be one winner and two runners up. 2nd and 3rd place get little trophies.

First place goes on to the national event in Washington, a large 1st place trophy, a wall certificate, a tshirt, an Outback Steakhouse Gift certificate and some other stuff. Also- an expenses paid trip to Washington for him and one adult for several days and nights to compete in the Washington contest.

The title of tricounty spelling champ is so close right now. He really wants to go to Washington now. I think he is surprised at how close he is now to winning.

Keep your fingers crossed.

*grabs sign, markers, and dictionary*

And the best part is, my 7 yr old son has been pretty involved and interested in the whole thing. He talks about what he'll do when he is in the competition.

As a dad, I feel like a winner.

As well you should. Congratulations to your children and to you. I just hope they stay away from those Indic rooted words. Latinate and Greek based words are fairly easy to memorize patterns for, the Arabic can be, too, but once you get east of Farsi, patterns tend to be hard to pin down. Thankfully there aren't that many in English. Odd specialty words like "cardamom" or "dhow" or "jodhpurs" (I don't even know if I spelled that last one right) can be a real pain in the ass. At the higher levels they usually let you know in advance the kinds of words they're going to use, don't they?

I was a bee winner back in my elementary school days (late 70s, early 80s), but never made it to a state championship, let alone a regional or national, or however they organize it now.

Either way, well done to all.

I have my fingers crossed. This is an important matter on a number of levels.

Nuts to Washington, though... the BIG prize here is the gift certificate for food.... :)


Thanks! I think there was a tshirt of some sort as well

crap.
Its over. My son came in 11th out of the remaining 33 tonight. He realized his mistake as he made it and was dissapointed.

The winner has apparently won the past three years in a row and between her and the second & third place winner, must have memorized nearly every single word in the paideia dictionary. They rattled off words I have never heard before with ease.
He's still eligible for next year and the way I look at it, we've already started to study. He's frustrated he lost, but I reminded him he is still the school champion when he goes to school tommorrow.

crap.
Its over. My son came in 11th out of the remaining 33 tonight. He realized his mistake as he made it and was dissapointed.

The winner has apparently won the past three years in a row and between her and the second & third place winner, must have memorized nearly every single word in the paideia dictionary. They rattled off words I have never heard before with ease.
He's still eligible for next year and the way I look at it, we've already started to study. He's frustrated he lost, but I reminded him he is still the school champion when he goes to school tommorrow.
Aww, sorry to hear that.
Remember though
I am looking foward to celebrating either way.
I couldnt be more proud.
As a dad, I feel like a winner.

Aww, sorry to hear that.
Remember though


Thanks- a minor dissapointment. It would have been a super sweet victory

We are still going to celebrate this weekend.

I wont start bragging about the scholastic academic olympics he was asked to compete in next week. I'll wait to see how it goes.

crap.
Its over. My son came in 11th out of the remaining 33 tonight. He realized his mistake as he made it and was dissapointed.

The winner has apparently won the past three years in a row and between her and the second & third place winner, must have memorized nearly every single word in the paideia dictionary. They rattled off words I have never heard before with ease.
He's still eligible for next year and the way I look at it, we've already started to study. He's frustrated he lost, but I reminded him he is still the school champion when he goes to school tommorrow.

I had just tg'd you doll. I think he has been fantastic in his accomplishments. He is still a champion and has so much to be proud of. Good for him! Yay CL Jr!! :fluffle:

11th place is VERY good! everyone there was a really good speller, to outlast 22 of them is quite a feat. you should all be very proud that he did so well.

I had just tg'd you doll. I think he has been fantastic in his accomplishments. He is still a champion and has so much to be proud of. Good for him! Yay CL Jr!! :fluffle:


Thanks- I agree. And he was also a huge encouragement to his 7 yr old brother, who is now setting his goals too.
We all won in this one.

11th place is VERY good! everyone there was a really good speller, to outlast 22 of them is quite a feat. you should all be very proud that he did so well.

Thanks. The top three were really phenominal. I was really impressed. I dont know if they were exceptional in their schools, or representative, but they were outstanding.

My 12 yr old has another shot next year and now my 7 yr old is looking foward to 4th grade when he can compete.

Thanks. The top three were really phenominal. I was really impressed. I dont know if they were exceptional in their schools, or representative, but they were outstanding.

My 12 yr old has another shot next year and now my 7 yr old is looking foward to 4th grade when he can compete.


do you remember the winning word for the student who got 1st place?

do you remember the winning word for the student who got 1st place?

Of course- it was one of the simplest words of the night- "digitalis".

The boy that came in second spelled the other easy word of the evening wrong- "gammut".

The rest of the words were far more difficult, with many scientific terms. It was going on so long, I think the judges and pronouncer agreed to go back to the easier words to wrap it up.