Outline - Pronunciation Pyramid!

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Gameplay The contestant is faced with a 5-tiered pyramid (digital display) comprised of different language choices. Beginning at the The Base Level (5 choices), the contestant selects a language and tries to pronounce the word it contains, advancing to the next tier if enough words (majority for odd numbered tiers, half for even numbered) are pronounced successfully, as determined by a panel of off-screen judges a la Jeopardy!. If the contestant fails enough times to where they cannot meet the advancement requirement, their game is over and the pyramid resets with a new batch of words for the next contestant.Regardless if it’s a hit or a miss, difficulty increases with each selection until just one more word stands between the contestant and conquest of the Pronunciation Pyramid!

To aid in their ascent to the top, contestants have access to four “Assistances” which they may use at any time:

• Hint Me Contestant receives a general hint (from Host).
  

• Syllabuster Splits the word into its syllables e.g. espionage displays es pi o nage.
  

• Swap Please Swaps out the current word for another of the same language and difficulty.
  

• Diacritical Thinking A refresher is given (by Host) on how to accent any diacritical marks occurring.

Contestants can use any or all of the Assistances on the same word, but have use of each of them only once per game.

Strategy A contestant may make a selection from their current tier in any order. As difficulty increases with each selection, they can take advantage of this by selecting a language they feel least familiar with earlier on and saving ones they feel more confident with for later. For example, if they select “Algonquian” fourth, they will be presented with a more difficult Algonquian word than if they had selected it first. A contestant may also choose if they want to pronounce only as many words as required to advance, giving themselves a better chance at the Main Prize by arriving at the top at a moderate difficulty level, or take a stab at correctly pronouncing every word, arriving at the top at the highest difficulty level for a chance at the Grand Prize!