Hotspell

Don H · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 187

A spelling bee competition is currently being run on SBS television, and
while any technique which promotes literacy is good, some comment seem
warranted.
"Hotspell" is, like its counterpart in USA and elsewhere, an oral test, to
which kids give an oral response.
One case, in which "corners" was the incorrect answer to "cornice" may
demonstrate that either the original pronunciation was faulty, or the
recipient didn't hear correctly. The answer was correctly spelt IF that had
been the question. Putting the word in sentence context might have avoided
such confusion, especially re similar-sounding words.
The aim is to WIN, and all concentration is on that aspect. Why a
contestant "got it wrong" could be illuminating in many cases - except those
in which mere guessing occurred. And even that could be a pointer.
English is not a completely phonetic language, ie. one-to-one
correspondence of letter-to-sound, but it does have various indicators as to
spelling.
Historical origins is one, and Latin, Greek, or Anglo-Saxon words follow
from their particular origins and can be recognised accordingly.
Polysyllabic words usually consist of a root/stem, plus affixes (prefix,
suffix), and these too follow a pattern, though they can vary
(-tion; -sion, -cion).
Possibly, monosyllabic words can be trickiest; if you've never heard them
before, and can't guess at the origin.
Speed in response to the question is part of the testing in "Hotspell",
and is valid to some extent. Too swift a pressing of the buzzer, eg. before
the question is actually asked, causes a demerit, and rightly so.
These Spelling Bees might benefit if more information was sought from
contestants than merely the spelling - some data about origin, meaning, etc.
But a written test might be more appropriate for that kind of information.
The main thing is - if you lose, it isn't the End of the World. Mum and
Dad will still love you (or should).

Archived from group: aus>education

Don H · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 187

"Don H" wrote in message$4A1.18606@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> A spelling bee competition is currently being run on SBS television, and
> while any technique which promotes literacy is good, some comment seem
> warranted.
> "Hotspell" is, like its counterpart in USA and elsewhere, an oral test,
to
> which kids give an oral response.
> One case, in which "corners" was the incorrect answer to "cornice" may
> demonstrate that either the original pronunciation was faulty, or the
> recipient didn't hear correctly. The answer was correctly spelt IF that
had
> been the question. Putting the word in sentence context might have
avoided
> such confusion, especially re similar-sounding words.
> The aim is to WIN, and all concentration is on that aspect. Why a
> contestant "got it wrong" could be illuminating in many cases - except
those
> in which mere guessing occurred. And even that could be a pointer.
> English is not a completely phonetic language, ie. one-to-one
> correspondence of letter-to-sound, but it does have various indicators as
to
> spelling.
> Historical origins is one, and Latin, Greek, or Anglo-Saxon words
follow
> from their particular origins and can be recognised accordingly.
> Polysyllabic words usually consist of a root/stem, plus affixes
(prefix,
> suffix), and these too follow a pattern, though they can vary
> (-tion; -sion, -cion).
> Possibly, monosyllabic words can be trickiest; if you've never heard
them
> before, and can't guess at the origin.
> Speed in response to the question is part of the testing in "Hotspell",
> and is valid to some extent. Too swift a pressing of the buzzer, eg.
before
> the question is actually asked, causes a demerit, and rightly so.
> These Spelling Bees might benefit if more information was sought from
> contestants than merely the spelling - some data about origin, meaning,
etc.
> But a written test might be more appropriate for that kind of information.
> The main thing is - if you lose, it isn't the End of the World. Mum
and
> Dad will still love you (or should).
>

# To give Hotspell its due, it does have a segment where words are put in
context of a sentence - I tuned in late to this show, overall, but am now
following the series more closely.
However, one recent case of misspelling - "salary" for "celery" -
illustrates how "homophones" can lead you astray. (This was in a
non-contextual segment).
The kid involved did spell "salary" correctly, even though that was the
"wrong" answer.
A Spelling Bee is qualitative - you either get it right, or you get it
wrong. But a quantitative assessment might be interesting. In the case of
the two words cited, three of the letters are correct, and in the right
location (l,r,y) and three are wrong; ie. the word was 50% "correct".
I suppose "celery" and "salary" are not normally deemed homophones, but I
find it hard to pronounce them so as to make a clear distinction.
Presumably, SBS has the whole series recorded on tape or disk, and it
might be a useful exercise to examine all incorrect answers, as to why kids
got it wrong. Was it due to mishearing the question? Was it a shrewd, or
wild, guess, or what?
There are also cases where a child may have spelt the word essentially
correctly but either forgot the ending, or misheard it, resulting in an
incorrect answer even if spelt correctly.
We learn from our mistakes - or should do - and try not to repeat them.
Generally speaking, it was probably inevitable that, from a too casual
regard for spelling, there would be a switch to strict orthodoxy. While
orthodoxy is desirable, it doesn't mean the English Language is perfect and
can't do with minor reforms, nor that we can't fine tune our knowledge of
what Rules there are (re spelling), and how to cope with Exceptions and
Variants.
What is a Homonym, Homophone, and Homograph? Then there are Synonyms -
the basis of most crossword puzzles.

Don H · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 187

"Don H" wrote in message$4A1.10072@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> "Don H" wrote in message
> $4A1.18606@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> > A spelling bee competition is currently being run on SBS television, and
> > while any technique which promotes literacy is good, some comment seem
> > warranted.
> > "Hotspell" is, like its counterpart in USA and elsewhere, an oral
test,
> to
> > which kids give an oral response.
> > One case, in which "corners" was the incorrect answer to "cornice" may
> > demonstrate that either the original pronunciation was faulty, or the
> > recipient didn't hear correctly. The answer was correctly spelt IF that
> had
> > been the question. Putting the word in sentence context might have
> avoided
> > such confusion, especially re similar-sounding words.
> > The aim is to WIN, and all concentration is on that aspect. Why a
> > contestant "got it wrong" could be illuminating in many cases - except
> those
> > in which mere guessing occurred. And even that could be a pointer.
> > English is not a completely phonetic language, ie. one-to-one
> > correspondence of letter-to-sound, but it does have various indicators
as
> to
> > spelling.
> > Historical origins is one, and Latin, Greek, or Anglo-Saxon words
> follow
> > from their particular origins and can be recognised accordingly.
> > Polysyllabic words usually consist of a root/stem, plus affixes
> (prefix,
> > suffix), and these too follow a pattern, though they can vary
> > (-tion; -sion, -cion).
> > Possibly, monosyllabic words can be trickiest; if you've never heard
> them
> > before, and can't guess at the origin.
> > Speed in response to the question is part of the testing in
"Hotspell",
> > and is valid to some extent. Too swift a pressing of the buzzer, eg.
> before
> > the question is actually asked, causes a demerit, and rightly so.
> > These Spelling Bees might benefit if more information was sought from
> > contestants than merely the spelling - some data about origin, meaning,
> etc.
> > But a written test might be more appropriate for that kind of
information.
> > The main thing is - if you lose, it isn't the End of the World. Mum
> and
> > Dad will still love you (or should).
> >
>
> # To give Hotspell its due, it does have a segment where words are put in
> context of a sentence - I tuned in late to this show, overall, but am now
> following the series more closely.
> However, one recent case of misspelling - "salary" for "celery" -
> illustrates how "homophones" can lead you astray. (This was in a
> non-contextual segment).
> The kid involved did spell "salary" correctly, even though that was the
> "wrong" answer.
> A Spelling Bee is qualitative - you either get it right, or you get it
> wrong. But a quantitative assessment might be interesting. In the case
of
> the two words cited, three of the letters are correct, and in the right
> location (l,r,y) and three are wrong; ie. the word was 50% "correct".
> I suppose "celery" and "salary" are not normally deemed homophones, but
I
> find it hard to pronounce them so as to make a clear distinction.
> Presumably, SBS has the whole series recorded on tape or disk, and it
> might be a useful exercise to examine all incorrect answers, as to why
kids
> got it wrong. Was it due to mishearing the question? Was it a shrewd, or
> wild, guess, or what?
> There are also cases where a child may have spelt the word essentially
> correctly but either forgot the ending, or misheard it, resulting in an
> incorrect answer even if spelt correctly.
> We learn from our mistakes - or should do - and try not to repeat
them.
> Generally speaking, it was probably inevitable that, from a too casual
> regard for spelling, there would be a switch to strict orthodoxy. While
> orthodoxy is desirable, it doesn't mean the English Language is perfect
and
> can't do with minor reforms, nor that we can't fine tune our knowledge of
> what Rules there are (re spelling), and how to cope with Exceptions and
> Variants.
> What is a Homonym, Homophone, and Homograph? Then there are Synonyms -
> the basis of most crossword puzzles.
>
>
# One of the basic rules of spelling is that governing short and long
vowels; how "mat" becomes "matting", and "mate,"mating". This rule may not
always apply consistently within polysyllabic words, and thus becomes a
source of confusion.
For example, in Hotspell, "idolatry" may be misspelled as "idollatry",
even although the latter is more "logical" based on pronunciation.
Likewise, "perpetual" becomes "perpettual". It may be that original
pronunciation of these words was different to what now applies, but how
about "sapphire" being misspelt "saphire"? Who needs the extra "p" - except
a Greek origin?
It may be that English takes an economic view of letters, and omitting
some consonants in polysyllabic words is justifiable on such grounds, as it
becomes hard to pronounce a word in any other way than that commonly used.
But, "accommodation"?
However, we may be stuck with an extra mental load in many cases, whereby
simple memorising of each word is the only way out.

Don H · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 187

"Don H" wrote in message$4A1.8996@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> "Don H" wrote in message
> $4A1.10072@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> > "Don H" wrote in message
> > $4A1.18606@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> > > A spelling bee competition is currently being run on SBS television,
and
> > > while any technique which promotes literacy is good, some comment seem
> > > warranted.
> > > "Hotspell" is, like its counterpart in USA and elsewhere, an oral
> test,
> > to
> > > which kids give an oral response.
> > > One case, in which "corners" was the incorrect answer to "cornice"
may
> > > demonstrate that either the original pronunciation was faulty, or the
> > > recipient didn't hear correctly. The answer was correctly spelt IF
that
> > had
> > > been the question. Putting the word in sentence context might have
> > avoided
> > > such confusion, especially re similar-sounding words.
> > > The aim is to WIN, and all concentration is on that aspect. Why a
> > > contestant "got it wrong" could be illuminating in many cases - except
> > those
> > > in which mere guessing occurred. And even that could be a pointer.
> > > English is not a completely phonetic language, ie. one-to-one
> > > correspondence of letter-to-sound, but it does have various indicators
> as
> > to
> > > spelling.
> > > Historical origins is one, and Latin, Greek, or Anglo-Saxon words
> > follow
> > > from their particular origins and can be recognised accordingly.
> > > Polysyllabic words usually consist of a root/stem, plus affixes
> > (prefix,
> > > suffix), and these too follow a pattern, though they can vary
> > > (-tion; -sion, -cion).
> > > Possibly, monosyllabic words can be trickiest; if you've never
heard
> > them
> > > before, and can't guess at the origin.
> > > Speed in response to the question is part of the testing in
> "Hotspell",
> > > and is valid to some extent. Too swift a pressing of the buzzer, eg.
> > before
> > > the question is actually asked, causes a demerit, and rightly so.
> > > These Spelling Bees might benefit if more information was sought
from
> > > contestants than merely the spelling - some data about origin,
meaning,
> > etc.
> > > But a written test might be more appropriate for that kind of
> information.
> > > The main thing is - if you lose, it isn't the End of the World.
Mum
> > and
> > > Dad will still love you (or should).
> > >
> >
> > # To give Hotspell its due, it does have a segment where words are put
in
> > context of a sentence - I tuned in late to this show, overall, but am
now
> > following the series more closely.
> > However, one recent case of misspelling - "salary" for "celery" -
> > illustrates how "homophones" can lead you astray. (This was in a
> > non-contextual segment).
> > The kid involved did spell "salary" correctly, even though that was
the
> > "wrong" answer.
> > A Spelling Bee is qualitative - you either get it right, or you get
it
> > wrong. But a quantitative assessment might be interesting. In the case
> of
> > the two words cited, three of the letters are correct, and in the right
> > location (l,r,y) and three are wrong; ie. the word was 50% "correct".
> > I suppose "celery" and "salary" are not normally deemed homophones,
but
> I
> > find it hard to pronounce them so as to make a clear distinction.
> > Presumably, SBS has the whole series recorded on tape or disk, and it
> > might be a useful exercise to examine all incorrect answers, as to why
> kids
> > got it wrong. Was it due to mishearing the question? Was it a shrewd,
or
> > wild, guess, or what?
> > There are also cases where a child may have spelt the word
essentially
> > correctly but either forgot the ending, or misheard it, resulting in an
> > incorrect answer even if spelt correctly.
> > We learn from our mistakes - or should do - and try not to repeat
> them.
> > Generally speaking, it was probably inevitable that, from a too
casual
> > regard for spelling, there would be a switch to strict orthodoxy. While
> > orthodoxy is desirable, it doesn't mean the English Language is perfect
> and
> > can't do with minor reforms, nor that we can't fine tune our knowledge
of
> > what Rules there are (re spelling), and how to cope with Exceptions and
> > Variants.
> > What is a Homonym, Homophone, and Homograph? Then there are
Synonyms -
> > the basis of most crossword puzzles.
> >
> >
> # One of the basic rules of spelling is that governing short and long
> vowels; how "mat" becomes "matting", and "mate,"mating". This rule may
not
> always apply consistently within polysyllabic words, and thus becomes a
> source of confusion.
> For example, in Hotspell, "idolatry" may be misspelled as "idollatry",
> even although the latter is more "logical" based on pronunciation.
> Likewise, "perpetual" becomes "perpettual". It may be that original
> pronunciation of these words was different to what now applies, but how
> about "sapphire" being misspelt "saphire"? Who needs the extra "p" -
except
> a Greek origin?
> It may be that English takes an economic view of letters, and omitting
> some consonants in polysyllabic words is justifiable on such grounds, as
it
> becomes hard to pronounce a word in any other way than that commonly used.
> But, "accommodation"?
> However, we may be stuck with an extra mental load in many cases,
whereby
> simple memorising of each word is the only way out.
>
>
# Well, it seems the Hotspell competition is over, and a winner decided - a
girl. Is she now Australia's top speller, or Hotspeller, ie. top, by the
rules of Hotspell?
A key element might be the speed-spelling, where contestants get a go at
spelling a word, depending on judicious use of the buzzer. Without a
replay, I am guessing here, but the overall winner might have clinched it on
this aspect - too slow, and you miss out; too quick, and you might also miss
out (if you then can't spell the word, and get points deducted).
Hotspell was run according to one format - another winner might have
arisen if a different format was used.
But what does it all prove? The regurgitation of words, previously
digested, is a test of memory, yet it can also be a test of analytic
ability - where unknown words are concerned.
Spelling Bees are, by nature, oral tests, but a written exam could also
be devised - involving dictation, correction, anagramming, and etymology. A
Spelling S/Cee?
What distinguishes the Human Species from other animals? Our juxtaposed
thumb is one aspect, but our enlarged cerebral cortex and use of speech is
another. Hyperactivity, and aggression, is a third. All of which can be
assets, but can also be liabilities. Is the chattering ape headed for
extinction? Absurd? Perhaps, but take care.