I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'm speaking more French, and even Bambara, these days. This isn't to say that my speaking skills are great. In fact, they are probably worse than they were six or eight months ago, when I had regular lessons from a tutor.

What's changed is that I'm speaking French less self-consciously, and therefore much more often.

Meanwhile, what's happening to my English is not good.

I was once, you should know, a spelling champion. Fifth grade spelling bees were a cinch; everyone else dropped out until I was the only one left standing and Mrs. Letzing threw me a few tough ones just for fun. Then even she got bored, and closed the dictionary. I beat out the sixth grade champ to represent Darnestown Elementary School at the Montgomery County Spelling Bee. Mom drove me to some bland hotel ballroom in Rockville. We waited on plastic chairs, my stomach a flock of mad butterflies, until it was my turn at the podium.

You are probably familiar with the spelling bee format: The emcee says the word. The speller repeats the word, spells the word, repeats the word. The speller may ask for a definition or for a sentence using the word.

I spelled a couple things right -- I'll never remember what they were -- and then they gave me tracheotomy. I remember not having a clue what it meant, so I don't know why I didn't ask for a definition. But I didn't, I just dove right in and made a wild guess I knew was wrong -- "Tracheotomy, t-r-a-k-y-o-t-o-m-y, tracheotomy" -- and I was not surprised when I was dismissed.

And twenty-two years later, I am losing my skills. I blame it on the second language creating new grooves in my brain, diverting old synapses. As I type these sentences I keep making the mistakes I want to tell you about. I can't spell. It's not the big words that throw me (I've always had trouble with double letters, like broccoli and occasional). No, it's the itty-bitty homonyms I keep typing wrong, and not just their/there, which is a common mistake. I type here for hear, right for write, and my favorite, no for know.

I swear, I no how to right those words!