Spelling Contest

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American elementary school spelling competition, 2011

A Spelling Bee (in the English language spelling bee ) is a student competition in spelling , which especially in the United States great popularity has.

competition

A spelling competition is all about spelling words correctly at various levels of difficulty. Participants usually have only one attempt and a limited amount of time to spell the word in question. In the first instance, the competitions, in which primary school students take part, usually take place in the respective classes and schools. In addition, in some countries such as the USA, Canada , Australia and several Asian countries there are national competitions where the winners of the local competitions compete against each other.

Name "Spelling Bee"

The English-language term spelling bee does not refer to the bee ( English bee , "bee"), but comes from the rarer term bee for a gathering of people to pursue a specific purpose or to do tasks together. The word origin of bee is located in an English dialect, where the term ended as much as the neighbors help meant; its origins lie in Middle English (bene) or Old English (bēn) , for example in the meaning of blessing , beneficence . Nevertheless, especially in English-speaking countries, the bee is often used as the mascot of the competitions.

history

Student spelling competitions are national folklore in the United States . They have been handed down since the 18th century and quickly became popular events. The name Spelling Bee appears in historical documents by the middle of the 19th century at the latest. The Courier-Journal newspaper hosted the United States' first national spelling competition in 1925. The sponsorship of the competition took over from 1941 the EW Scripps Company , after which the competition was renamed Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee . The event was later renamed Scripps National Spelling Bee .

The Senior Spelling Bee has been held in the United States since 1996 , a spelling competition for participants aged 50 and over. The South Asian Spelling Bee has been held since 2008 , a spelling competition specifically aimed at students with South Asian roots.

distribution

Barack Obama and the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee winner in the Oval Office

Spelling competitions are widespread in the United States and run in most schools. The national finals of the competition, the Scripps National Spelling Bee , are a permanent fixture in the country and attract a lot of media attention. In addition to monetary and material prizes, the winners of the competition will have the opportunity to be received by the incumbent US president.

Spelling competitions are now held around the world. In addition to local and regional events, national and continental competitions are also widespread internationally. The MaRRS International Spelling Bee is held across Asia , reaching over two million students at more than 1500 schools. In Australia, the State Library of Western Australia hosts the national spelling competition. The African Spelling Bee has been held in Africa since 2016 and is organized by Spelling Bee organizations from ten African countries.

Spelling competitions have been held in Germany since 2009 under the patronage of the German Language Association .

Spelling competitions in the film (selection)

  • In the cartoon Charlie Brown and Friends (1969), Charlie Brown takes part in a nationwide elimination.
  • In the animated series The Simpsons (episode 303, 2003) Lisa qualified for the finale.
  • In the film drama Bee Season (2005), eleven-year-old Eliza is trained by her father.
  • In the cartoon series Drawn Together (episode 25, 2006) two teams compete against each other.
  • In the film drama Akeelah is the greatest (2006), eleven-year-old Akeelah is led by a Dr. Lerabee trains.
  • In the series Psych (season 1, episode 2), the main character Sean Spencer determines on a Spelling Bee.

Others

The winner of the USA's first national spelling competition in 1925, Frank Neuhauser, who was eleven at the time, became known nationwide through the competition. He won the competition by spelling the word gladiolus ( gladiolus ). His prizes included gold worth $ 500 and a meeting with American President Calvin Coolidge . When Neuhauser died in 2011, the New York Times published an obituary.

literature

  • James Maguire: American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds . Rodale Inc., 2006, ISBN 978-1-59486-214-4 (English).

Web links

Commons : Spelling Contests  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Spelling competition  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. Kathrin Boehme: "Spelling Kings" show their skills. Rheinische Post Online, June 24, 2017, accessed on July 21, 2017 .
  2. Immigrant Child Wins US Spelling Contest. Der Standard, June 7, 2010, accessed July 21, 2017 .
  3. Bee. Dictionary.com, accessed July 21, 2017 .
  4. Bee. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, accessed July 21, 2017 .
  5. James Maguire: American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds , Rodale Inc. (2006), ISBN 978-1-59486-214-4 , p. 55: “The spelling bee [...] is genuine American folk tradition. "
  6. ^ The Knickerbocker: New-York Monthly Magazine . tape 35 . New York April 1850, p. 360 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).
  7. Jacque Wilson: Senior spelling bee champ shares his secrets for staying sharp. CNN, August 15, 2012, accessed July 21, 2017 .
  8. ^ Adv: 9th Season of MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee announced. The Times Of India, June 6, 2016, accessed July 21, 2017 .
  9. Marrs International Spelling Bee. (PDF; 396 KB) MaRRS Intellectual Services, accessed on July 21, 2017 (English).
  10. Spelling Bee. (No longer available online.) The West Australian, August 14, 2012, formerly the original ; accessed on July 21, 2017 (English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / education.thewest.com.au  
  11. African Spelling Bee consortium: About us. African Spelling Bee Consortium, accessed July 21, 2017 .
  12. Margalit Fox: Frank Neuhauser, a Speller's Speller, Dies at 97. The New York Times, March 22, 2011, accessed July 21, 2017 .