Freepers are turning even the spelling bee...

[kegler14]

into something racial or anti-immigration. Note this comment:

"They just eliminated an Arab contestant when they asked him to spell a Hebrew word (sheol). The guy doing color said there was no way you'd know how to spell that if you hadn't studied the Bible or the Torah

Red flag going up. Someone watching the program will complain of the inequity of including religious terminology. Guess it's just a matter of time before they include words from the Qu'uran or eliminate all religious reference materials.

Tuesday evening, ESPN2 televised what I suppose was last year's finals. The majority of finalists were Indian and Oriental. The toughest words were all foreign language."

The toughest words were all foreign!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Most English words are of foreign origin. This guy probably refuses to use French origin words when he talks. Just like he eats freedom fries.

[chaplainM]

1. One brief visit to Free Republic

...will show that spelling is very important to those who share their views there.

[damntexdem]

5. Yes, but real spelling bees are usually about correct spelling, not magic spells.

;-)

But I catch your drift, though I don't go to Fur Repubic to check out the bad spelling.

[sakabatou]

17. It will also cause your eyes to bleed and

anal leakage.

[SCantiGOP]

2. did you know

that the French don't even have a word for entrepreneur? I had heard this attributed to Bush and was very disappointed when it turns out he didn't actually say it.

[chaplainM]

20. There's no Italian worh for impresario, either. n/t

[mitchum]

3. Freepers? Agitated by correct spelling? When did that become a concern?

[glowing]

4. From what I remember, there is a list of words you may study from.

Its very, very long. In general, you have to be a good speller and understand origins of words. It helps to spell the toughies.

[Morning Dew]

6. The Freeperville Speeling Bea.

They practice in every thread I've ever read over there.

[Enrique]

7. I'm sure the spelling bees do take those things into account

and I'm sure some conservative phonies like David Horowitz or whatever have made an issue out of it.

[Buzz Clik]

8. What an ignorant prick. There are deep similarities in the languages...

... and one can learn spelling regardless of where you were born.

[imdjh]

9. I grew up with lots of Jewish kids, heard the word often, and wouldn't have spelled it correctly

It's not an English word. It's not a common synonym of any English word. There is no reason why any kid who didn't go to Yeshiva school would know how to spell that word. It's not even on the signs outside Hebrew school or synagogue in the US.

[chaplainM]

10. Every contestant saw it spelled correctly on the list they were given. n/t

[imdjh]

12. They were given a list? Times have changed.

In that case, it's legit. I still don't know why that word would be in an English spelling bee, but if it was on the study list then it was.

My objection here is that the word isn't like "bodega" which is arguably being absorbed into English and is being absorbed for the same reason other words have been- because it's a better term than "mom and pop shop" or "convenience store" or "corner store".

[kegler14]

11. Are Freepers predictable or what? Here's the latest.

"Just heard the same sort of thing for a San Diego kid which was eliminated: they asked him/her to spell a french word; what is up with that?"

IDIOT!!! It's an English word with a French origin. Horrors!!!

[GodlessBiker]

13. "The majority of finalists were Indian and Oriental." Oriental?

[Harry Monroe]

14. As opposed to "Occidental"?

[YOY]

16. Here's a picture of the favored to win contestant...

[GodlessBiker]

18. They should keep the rugs on their pointy little heads.

[YOY]

15. You series?

n/t

[ZombieNixon]

19. Well, it depends on the standards used when selecting foreign language words.

When using words that come from languages like Hebrew or Arabic that use non-Roman writing systems, do they use one form of transliteration, or will they accept one of the many that may exist?

Say, for example, the word was "kliffoth" (refers to the concept of evil in Kabbalah or something - I'm not really sure). This, in Hebrew, is spelled קליפות (according to Wikipedia), but can also be transliterated as "qliphoth," or even "klippot," "kelippot," or "qelippot." So, if I, as a bee contestant am given this word and bust out my K-L-I-F-F-O-T-H and then get dismissed because they were looking for Q-L-I-P-H-O-T-H, was I at a disadvantage because I haven't studied Kabbalah and didn't know the transliteration they were looking for?

Now, it's pretty unlikely (I think) for the national spelling be to be asking for Kabbalah words, but even something simpler like "glycerin" vs. "glycerine" or "veranda" vs. "verandah" could be cause for confusion,

BTW, someone above mentioned the spellers studying from a list. Unless the rules have changed since I was speller (about ten years ago), that isn't true at the national level AFAIK. I believe at the regional level, when the readers run out of words in the approved study list, they move to randomly selected words from the dictionary, which the contestants have likely not studied.

[BuyingThyme]

21. If you get rid of the religious terminology, I don't think there'll be much terminology left.

[laureloak]

22. del*