On Spelling

The 96th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee has been completed and I didn't win. I should say I couldn't win, never tired and know my limitations in spelling to give it a go. Spelling Bees are those contests elementary school teachers use in their classes to make learning more fun, but I understand there are adult spelling bees also. I think any adult who enters that is probably a masochist. Spelling bees are public announcements of human stupidity, given most of us spell so badly.( I shall make sure to use spell check on this).

The term spelling bee has nothing to do with the insect. It is derived from the Old English word "ben", meaning “a prayer, a favor.” By the late eighteenth century ben was replaced with the word "bee", referring to the joining of neighbors to work on a single activity to help a neighbor in need: sewing bee, quilting bee, etc. So there is the derivation of the term Spelling Bee. I hope I spelled all the words right in that explanation but I won't sear to it.

Why some people are good spellers and some not is perplexing. Often the smartest people are the worst spellers. But then, also stupid people are always bad spellers. I think it must be some combination of a skill involving talent/instinct and language decoding skill and memory. But what do I know? I researched spelling skill and found this definition from someone who knows better than I.  "A good speller is not a person who has successfully memorized the most words, but rather someone who knows ways to figure out the logic of words and can construct them as needed. Spelling is problem solving with letters, sounds, patterns and meanings." (Phenix and Scott Dunne, 1991)

But how come that horned rim glasses wearing nerdish 10 year old spelling bee champ can spell better than the rest of us? It might be that all the components of good spelling work well for the nerd and one or more of them fail in us. So what? Is spelling well so important in this age of computer spell assistance? In practical terms probably not if the person can spelling normally. But those with learning disabilities whose language processing is bad would disagree. Thankfully, for all of us spell check rescues us in time of need.

I guess I am analyzing a talent too much and should just shut up. But before I do I thought I would let you know what the the final word was for the 10 year old Scripps co champ final word in the competition was. It was “Feldenkrais”. Gee, not only can't I spell it. I doubt I can pronounce it.