Ok, I was just reading the news and there was an article about how some guy for the first time did faultlessly in the Groot Dictee der Nederlandse Taal, and I’m not quite understanding what this is, maybe. Is this just a great big dictation contest, where someone reads a long text and the competitors copy it down? Do we have something like that for the English language, or is this a kind of Dutch particularity (like the frequency of spelling contests in English, which don’t make as much sense in languages where the spelling is more phonetic and regular)? Is this usually for kids (like spelling ‘bees’ usually are) or adults (I notice that a detective novelist came in second. . .)?
It’s apparently some kind of spelling contest.
http://www.hull.ac.uk/dutch/spelling.htm
Link looks like it has rules, word lists, scores–all in Dutch, of course.
It’s indeed a spelling contest. Dutch is a language with difficult grammar rules, a bit comparable with German. The contest is for adults and considered very hard. This year, for the first time in 13 years, one contestant made no errors. Contestants are divided between celebreties (to boost ratings) and ‘profesionals’ (e.g. writers, journalists, teachers, …). It’s a friendly war with words between the Dutch and the Belgians.
regards,
Alexander