This past Saturday the PhD Diagnostic Exam was given, and 7 hours after the procedure began, I emerged, thoroughly examined. I won’t know the results for a couple weeks. I suppose that until then, I can’t say that I’ve actually been diagnosed, unless the act of taking the test is itself the diagnosis.

The test was divided into four sections: sound structure (phonology), grammatical structure (syntax), meaning and use (pragmatics & semantics), and meaning in context (sociolinguistics and historical & comparative linguistics). Each section had 2 or 3 essay questions to choose from, and for each section, there was at least one question that I felt reasonably confident answering. I thank the Lord for mental alertness and help for my hand, which sometimes cramps up badly if I write for an extended period of time.

When I came home, Amy prepared chicken fajitas, and we had a nice relaxing evening. Homework was prohibited. (A little more praise for my wife: as the exam was approaching, Amy was such a help to me in carving out time to study, relieving me from other work, and encouraging me.)

And thanks to you all for praying.