Should she have won?

[Relayer1]

Gryff Gryngle wrote:

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I speak English as a second language, but even I know there's a difference between swimming and swimmin'. Reneé didn't pronounce it correctly, so she lost.

True - the G was on the board, she knew she had the answer, all she had to do was read it correctly from the board.

Self inflicted wound...

[Locutus of Bored]

Gil T.Azell wrote:

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She lost fair and square, I sure she read the rules.

Sorry, that answer is not acceptable.

[JiNX-01]

HoHoHocutus wrote:

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Sorry, that answer is not acceptable.

So, does that mean Gil T.Azell get kicked off the board?

[Gil T.Azell]

Santa JiNX wrote:

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So, does that mean Gil T.Azell get kicked off the board?

Oops I accept you "DQ'ing" me for my spelling error, the price of being tired at the time of posting.

[Trekker4747]

I think the producers or whomever "enforces the rules" of the game knew what she meant, she called the "G" to be there so she obviously knew it was there. She clearly had a regional accent of the type that sort of lops off sounds and muddies others (she over-pronounces "M" for example, perhaps to not get it confused with the already called "N".)

She was robbed, she called most of the letters on the board so she obviously knew the answer to the puzzle but she slightly (and not in an unusual way) mispronounces a commonly mispronounced suffix and she losses? Robbed.

I think an ounce of leeway should have been given.

[J.T.B.]

If the game was just about words and phrases, no question her answer should be sufficient. But that game is also about the letters in the words, so I can see the case that she didn't enunciate every letter. No matter how they say it in everyday life, most people know that there's a difference between "-ing" and "-in." There have probably been phrases used on the show that intentionally use the "dropped g" ending, and the player would be expected to pronounce it that way. It does seem like it would open things to hair-splitting, though, since people enunciate letter combinations differently.

Whether the rules should be enforced so rigidly that they don't allow for the contestant's excitement and personal speaking style is another question; I'd be inclined to let her slide.

[MacLeod]

Rules are rules however, just because you pronunce a word a certain way everyday doesn't mean that's the correct way of pronuncing the word. Now if it was a word which can be pronunced multiple ways correctly and they penalised her for using an alternate that would be incorrect.

[Mr Awe]

This is a show about words, and the specific letters in the words. She clearly left the last G off. She should've read it more clearly and precisely as it was on the board. She gave an incorrect answer.

Mr Awe

[JarodRussell]

What does the word "swimmin" (without the G) mean?

[BillJ]

No she shouldn't have won.

Either she got it right or she didn't, you introduce "what did he/she mean to say" into the equation and you'll get chaos with contestants constantly challenging the judges.

[The Engineer]

HoHoHocutus wrote:

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^ It's clear that she was fully aware of the difference between the two and knew there was a "g" at the end. Either she was being folksy and leaving off the g on purpose, or that's how she typically pronounces it. Either way, I think she should have been given another chance to say it.

What are the rules about pronunciation on Wheel? I know on Jeopardy they give you a chance to restate the question if you mispronounce something the first time. Do they not allow that on Wheel?

It's kinda slipshod, because I've seen them give it to people who mispronounce the word "espresso". So kinda depends on the judges I guess.

[Kestra]

She should have won. Americans mispronounce things all the time (twenty/twenny). This isn't a slippery slope, "swimmin" isn't a different word, and she knew what the answer was.

[Trekker4747]

JarodRussell wrote:

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What does the word "swimmin" (without the G) mean?

It's a folksier version of "swimming."

[sonak]

I think she should have gotten a second chance to pronounce it correctly.

[junxon]

should she have won? thread title disqualification!