Spelling Bee

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The following rules will be observed during
the 2009 Arkansas State Spelling Bee 1. City and regional champions participating in the championship finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., must qualify under two basic requirements: (a) they must not have passed beyond the eighth grade on or before February 1, 2010; and (b) they must not have reached their 15th birthday on or before September 1, 2009.

2. The Arkansas State Spelling Bee shall be an oral competition with elimination on a “miss-and-out” basis, except as provided in rules 10 and 11.

3. Words in the national finals shall be selected from the 2010 Spell It! study book, from the 2010 Sponsor Bee Guide, and from Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its Addenda Section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster, Inc., from which the pronouncer shall select the definition or definitions that he/she gives. With the approval of the judges, he/she may give a fuller explanation of the meaning of the word to supplement the dictionary definition or definitions quoted.

4. Words shall be pronounced according to the diacritical markings in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its Addenda Section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster, Inc., from which the pronouncer shall select the definition or definitions that he/she gives. With the approval of the judges, he/she may give a fuller explanation of the meaning of the word to supplement the dictionary definition or definitions quoted.

5. In competition, after the pronouncer gives the contestant a word, the contestant will be encouraged to pronounce the word before spelling it and after spelling it. However, no contestants will be eliminated for failing to pronounce a word.

6. The contestants may request the pronouncer to pronounce the word again, define it or use it in a sentence. The contestant may ask for the language origin of a word. No other information about the etymology or history of a word will be given. If the contestant has a specific root word in mind, the contestant may ask if the dictionary lists that word as the root of the word to be spelled. The pronouncer shall grant all such requests until the judges agree that the word has been made reasonably clear to the contestant. THE JUDGES MAY DISQUALIFY ANY CONTESTANT WHO IGNORES A REQUEST TO START SPELLING.

7. Having started to spell a word, a contestant may stop and start over, retracing the spelling from the beginning, but in retracing there can be no change of letters or their sequence from those first pronounced. If letters or their sequences are changed in the respelling, the speller will be eliminated.

8. The spelling bee shall be conducted in rounds. Each contestant remaining in the spelling bee at the start of a round shall spell one word in the round, except as provided in rule 11.

9. Upon missing the spelling of a word, a contestant immediately drops out of the contest, except as provided in rules 10 and 11. The next word on the pronouncer’s list is given to the next contestant.

10. If none of the contestants remaining in the spelling bee at the start of a round spells a word correctly during the round, all shall remain in the competition.

11. If only one of the contestants remaining in the contest at the start of a round spells a word correctly during that round, the contestant shall be given an opportunity to spell the next word on the list. If the contestant succeeds in correctly spelling the new word, the contestant shall be declared the champion. Otherwise, all the contestants remaining at the start of the round shall remain in the competition. A new round will begin, with all of the contestants spelling in their original order.

12. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its Addenda Section, copyright 2002, Merriam-Webster, Inc., shall serve as the final authority for the spellings of words in the state finals. If more than one spelling is listed for a word, any of these spellings will be accepted as correct if either matches the pronunciation and definition provided by the pronouncer, or if it is clearly identified as being a standard variant of the word that the contestant has been asked to spell. Spelling at other locations having archaic, obsolete or regional labels (such as North Midland, South, Brit[ish], Irish) that are different from those at the main entry will not be accepted as correct.

13. If a word has one or more homonyms, the pronouncer will indicate which word is to be spelled. If the listed word is not properly identified, either by defining it or by distinguishing the homonyms, any correct spelling of any homonym of the words will be accepted.

14. Any question relating to the spelling of a word should be referred to the designated official immediately in writing on the official protest form. The deadline for filing protest is before the contestant affected would have received his/her next word had he/she stayed in the contest. No protest will be entertained after that word has been given to another speller. When only five spellers remain, an oral protest must me made immediately, that is before the contestant affected would have received his/her next word had he/she stayed in the contest. IT IS A FIRM RULE THAT GRIEVANCES MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE NEXT ROUND BEGINS.

15. The judges are in complete control of the Bee. THEIR DECISION SHALL BE FINAL ON ALL QUESTIONS.

16. Any contestant having once won a Scripps National Spelling Bee is ineligible for future competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Following are additional rules set by the
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

17.Any infraction of these rules will result in the disqualification of the speller. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reserves the right to dismiss from the premises any person who violates these rules or causes a disruption during the Spelling Bee.

18. No contestant or parent may approach a judge, pronouncer or official during the Spelling Bee. Failure to abide by this rule will be grounds for immediate dismissal of the contestant.

19. Grievance forms may be obtained at the grievance table. They must be submitted to the person in charge of grievances, NOT TO ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL. Grievances will be reviewed and ruled on in between rounds. Again, the judges’ decision is final.