The DREADED phonetics exam

Well, it was straight after littérature actuelle. Litt act from 8h30 to 10h30, Phonetics exam at 10h30. Fine!

Except that

1) Then we were told that we needed to be available 15 minutes BEFORE our exam time for preparation

2) Litt Act decided that this morning was a good time to over-run by 10 minutes.

AAARRRGGGGHHHHHH!

So I charged to the loo (get your priorities right!) then to the office, where the previous exam was still under way. Yes, they were running 1/2 hour behind schedule. So all was OK.

I had to read a text about the danger of poisonous mushrooms. When I say Champignons starting high and ending low my nasal vowels sound OK, so I had to plan every sentence with champignon in it to maje sure I could start the word high. I did the posh liaisons, because I am that sort of guy.

Then I had to transcribe 6 sounds into International Phonetic Alphabet. Well I was RUBBISH at this. In fact, everyone today was, because we haven't done IPA this semester! So we told everyone who has their exam tomorrow or later to revise their IPA quickly! (This happened last time - I was one of the first to sit the exam then told everyone else what to revise...)

Then I had to describe a closed syllable and find one in the text.

Then I had to describe how one does a liaison with a word ending rs or rt and give an example. e.g. on part à quatre heures - you liaise with the r.

Then I had to listen to a tape of what sounded like a dying man describing his life as a poet. He was coughing all the time, sounded on the verge of death and in addition had a very low voice. After listening to it twice I then had to recount everything I heard to the phonetics teacher, then have a discussion about him, poetry and the arts in general. Nightmare.

Then it was all over.

PHEW!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Ah the joys of exams! Nerves and fretting before, euphoria afterwards. It's not just reserved for the youth any more either. So many of us older folk are choosing to go the way of extra study, I'm not sure why. Sometimes it's necessary for a new avenue of working and maybe it's because we have to possess a piece of paper to prove our worth. Could it be a sense of pride? Obviously your language studies falls into the first category, but I question my own motives for my studies. My work expects one course of study in which I'm engaging, but my study of the Bible I really enjoy. It makes me think so hard about what I believe and know, and fortunately I have the means of answering my questions too. Mostly from the Bible itself, with God's help. What an amazing book! What an amazing God!
10:02 am
Alan said…
That's lovely.

Yes - though sometimes motivations mingle. Last semester I went into the exams feeling that I didn't mind at all how I did, because exams don't matter as long as I can explain the gospel in comprehensible and inconspicuous French.

This time I want that, plus a better mark than last time.

Hmmm.
11:35 am
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