Got Your Six - 13 May 2013

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A Way with Words

Education, Language Learning, Society & Culture

4.6 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2013

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Starting this year, Scripps National Spelling Bee contestants not only have to spell words correctly. A controversial new rule means they’ll have to answer vocabulary questions, too. Also, when it comes to reading text, do you prefer “paper” or “plastic”? Some research suggests that comprehension is slightly better when you read offline instead of on a screen. And the term winkle out, plus bike slang, the military origin of “I’ve got your six,” why the word awfully isn’t awful, and where you’ll find onion snow. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org/contact. Be a part of the show: call 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free in the United States and Canada; worldwide, call or text/SMS +1 (619) 800-4443. Email [email protected]. Twitter @wayword. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:27.8	You're listening to A Way With Words, the show about language and how we use it. I'm Grant Barrett and I'm Martha Barnett
0:35.2	When you and I competed in spelling bees as youngsters all we had to do is spell the words we were given right right we didn't have to say anything about the meaning of the words, but that's
0:44.8	about to change for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. For the first time in their
0:49.1	86-year history, participants won't just have to spell words in front of an audience
0:53.2	they'll have to take a computer-based vocabulary test beforehand and that's going to
0:57.4	help determine who gets in the final rounds.
1:00.3	So the vocabulary test doesn't show up in the competition on stage in front of the cameras.
1:04.5	Oh, because I was worried it'd be like a three-day cricket match and go on forever.
1:07.7	No, it's some multiple choice questions.
1:11.2	Okay. You know, you see the word in a sentence and you have
1:14.0	to guess what and if you fail this then you don't make it to the big competition.
1:17.8	Well it counts for 50% of all the points that you're tallying and when I heard that I thought great that's
1:24.8	fantastic let's talk about the etymology let's talk about the meaning of the words why
1:28.6	are people just using brute memorization for this as if they're just strings of characters, just like these non-functional widgets.
1:36.0	Exactly, exactly, objects.
	...

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