[splat]

What I am required to submit for my degree is the following:

HGLP 5708      (a) General Paper: A. Linguistic Theory.
HGLP 5711      B.  (i)  Phonetics and Phonology.
HGLP 5730      Approved Subject:  Morphology.
HGLP 9715      B.  (ii)  Syntax (written exercise).
HGLP 9717      B.  (ii)  Syntax (essay).
HGLP 9737      Thesis.

I have, of course, already done the thesis; and I've already done both bits of the syntax, the written exercises last spring and the essay last term.  What that means is I have three exams:  phonetics & phonology, morphology, and general linguistic theory, always called Paper A.

I feel fine about phonetics & phonology.  I've looked at the past few years' worth of exams, and while I will have some brushing up to do (names and dates, mainly), I'll be fine.

There have only been two times in the past six years that anyone has wanted to do morphology; I took tutorials along with the girl who did it last year, and I've looked at the exam they gave her as well as the one they gave someone six years ago, and while there's nothing on either of them I can't handle, my essays from last year will need considerable going-over before I'm in a position to write that exam.

The trouble with Paper A is this:  it is divided into five sections, and you can't do more than two questions from any one of the first four sections, and you can't do any questions at all from any of the first four sections if you've taken that section as an option.  Let me clarify:  Paper A is laid out thus:

Section A:  Phonetics and Phonology
Section B:  Morphology and Syntax
Section C:  Semantics and Pragmatics
Section D:  Historical and Comparative Linguistics
Section E:  General

Because my options are phonetics & phonology, morphology, and syntax, I can't do any questions on Paper A from either section A or section B.  I don't actually know anything about historical and comparative linguistics.  (I've dabbled, but none of my dabbling has been academic.  For purposes of this exam, I really do know nothing about that section.  This is because I am not a philologist.)  That leaves sections C and E.  So I've just spent an hour looking at the last six years' worth of sections C and E from Paper A.

Man, I am screwed.  Not so much for the exam itself, because I do know some things, and can shine up my semantics before then and everything.  But, but, but:  MOCK PAPER A TOMORROW MORNING, 9AM.

At this point I'm trying to decide which textbook to take to bed with me.

followup to last post

I am already feeling better.  Reminder to self:  you only have to do three questions.  As long as you can find three between sections C and E, it'll be all right.

Going to bed to read semantics now.

mock update

Mock exam went, I thought, very well.  Of course I'll have to wait until it's mock marked to see how well I mock did.  But I'm feeling better by the minute.

Off to meet the Bursar in a few, and even that isn't making me anxious and unhappy anymore.

longer update

1.  Not that anyone else is following the drama, but the ugliest part of the Bursar-related situation seems to be over.  We are reestablished on a productive path.  Thank god.  Aside from it driving me to tears last Friday, it actually managed to keep me up for goodish parts of four nights in a row.  My blood pressure and my ulcer are as glad as I am that it's on the mend.

2.  I really feel like I did well on the mock exam.  I looked at section C, but ended up answering three questions from section E:

--Give a detailed description, using diagrams as appropriate, of the movements of the organs of speech in an utterance of the phrase "twice fortnightly".  Indicate the dialect or variety of English that your description reflects.

Wrote two and half pages of that, and added a page and a half of diagrams (lips to velum, including the nasal cavity in one case) and a half-page phone inventory.


-- Explain the difference in the meanings of the following pairs of sentences:

a.  John said Bill was a liberal democrat, and then HE insulted HIM.
  John said Bill was a liberal democrat, and then he insulted him.

b.  Have another drink.  After all, you've finished WORK.
  Have another drink.  After all, YOU'VE finished work.

Wrote about four pages.

-- Give an analysis, using Gricean conversational maxims, of the steps the reader must implicitly go through in order to make sense of the following:

Would you mind not doing that, please?

Wrote about three pages.

Off for drinkies now with some college people.  Hurrah.