# I defended



## xolo (May 25, 2014)

Last week I defended my thesis and good God I thought I was going to die but thank God I passed so I have been approved for a MA Spanish. You must go before the tribunal to be tested. Are you worthy? My uni only takes PhD students so I am now good for another few years before the same crisis occurs all over again.

My committee asked me if my dissertation will be about phonetics, I think *NOT *thank you, but who knows, _maybe _I will grow into it! 

¡Pokjü k’ü i ējē!


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

Felicidades!
What university did you receive it from?


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

Hi Circle,
I'd like to maintain my semi-anonymity, but my university is a top-100 public school (worldwide) that is located in the USA.


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## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

Congratulations, Xolo! Well done! That's quite the accomplishment! :whoo:

.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Gratz!

At my MS defense the outside professor admitted he hadn't even read the thesis, but pointed out a typo on the title page. I don't know how I did that, but it was serendipitous. If I had it to do over again I'd make sure to print a special title page for the outside professor's copy that had a typo only he could find just so he could contribute something.

In between my MS and Phd thesis defense, I also had to do a stand-up presentation to my committee to get my Phd proposal approved. That turned out to be harder than either of the actual defenses. The appointed out-of-department professor was trying to give me a hard time. He didn't think I was PhD material, apparently, but he didn't know enough on the subject to really mount an effective attack. My advisor really had to argue hard after I left the room to get me past that hurdle. 

The actual PhD defense was anticlimactic by comparison. I don't even remember whether the outside professor was present. In theory, besides asking questions about the thesis, they could ask me anything at all from the department's subject matter, so I had brushed up on several things ahead of time, but they only asked one token question that wasn't related to the thesis. Mostly they didn't understand the thesis, so it was pretty easy, more explaining than defending.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

¡Felicitaciones! Ahora a celebrar. 🎉🎉🎉

But your last line has even Google translator stuck. What does "Pokjü k’ü i ējē" mean and what language is it in?


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## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

ojosazules11 said:


> ¡Felicitaciones! Ahora a celebrar. 🎉🎉🎉
> 
> But your last line has even Google translator stuck. What does "Pokjü k’ü i ējē" mean and what language is it in?


My first thought, given Xolo's area of study, was that it was written as a phonetic transcription, but looking again, it doesn't rely on IPA symbols, so . . . Beats me! 

.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

TurtleToo said:


> My first thought, given Xolo's area of study, was that it was written as a phonetic transcription, but looking again, it doesn't rely on IPA symbols, so . . . Beats me!
> 
> .


I was thinking the same.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Found it! It is in the Matahua or Jñatjo language, an indigenous language spoken in Michoacán. As best I can find the meaning is something along the lines of "Thank you for visiting".

Mazahua language, alphabet and pronunciation


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

It just loks to me like an indigenous language written out. In the Maya languages the apostrophe is used to denote glottals , the umlaut is used in Zoque , I think I have seen it in Zapotec as well..it is kind of phonetic as indigenous languages are written phonetically but not using the phonetic symbols.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

The Mazahua live in Mexico state mostly with some in Michoacan. Actually we have some working in Ajijic.. They are well known for some of the finest cross stich embroidery I have seen..


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## mattoleriver (Oct 21, 2011)

xolo said:


> ¡Pokjü k’ü i ējē!


And covfefe right back at you!


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Seems like half this thread is breaking forum rules, come on ISLA, reprimand them ...........Rule 1.8 =

1.8 This Website is in the English language and any Contribution posted by you on the Website should be in the English language.

LOL


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

chicois8 said:


> Seems like half this thread is breaking forum rules, come on ISLA, reprimand them ...........Rule 1.8 =
> 
> 1.8 This Website is in the English language and any Contribution posted by you on the Website should be in the English language.
> 
> LOL


I'm not in the mood to reprimand anyone today.  By the way, using LOL is also against the rules! 

6. All posts on this site must be in English. Non English language posts including abbreviations like text speak are not permitted on the forum.

Where did you find Rule 1.8 ?


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Isla Verde said:


> I'm not in the mood to reprimand anyone today.  By the way, using LOL is also against the rules!
> 
> 6. All posts on this site must be in English. Non English language posts including abbreviations like text speak are not permitted on the forum.
> 
> Where did you find Rule 1.8 ?



Between 1.7 and 1.9, Laugh out Loud, what does 6. have to do with this post? 6. what?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

chicois8 said:


> Between 1.7 and 1.9, Laugh out Loud, what does 6. have to do with this post? 6. what?


For Your Information, 6 is Forum Rule #6. http://www.expatforum.com/expats/general-expat-discussions/2397-forum-rules.html


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Isla Verde said:


> For Your Information, 6 is Forum Rule #6. http://www.expatforum.com/expats/general-expat-discussions/2397-forum-rules.html


Well for your information I was using these forum rules "VerticalScope Inc.
1. TERMS OF WEBSITE USE" 

not one that is a closed subject...If you scroll down near the bottom of this page you will see this box:

Posting Rules

You may post new threads
You may post replies
You may post attachments
You may edit your post

BB code is On
Smilies are On
code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Rules

I click on Forum Rules and scroll down to 1.8......


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

chicois8 said:


> Seems like half this thread is breaking forum rules, come on ISLA, reprimand them ...........Rule 1.8 =
> 
> 1.8 This Website is in the English language and any Contribution posted by you on the Website should be in the English language.
> 
> LOL


Discussing moderation is also prohibited by the rules.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

chicois8 said:


> Seems like half this thread is breaking forum rules, come on ISLA, reprimand them ...........Rule 1.8 =
> 
> 1.8 This Website is in the English language and any Contribution posted by you on the Website should be in the English language.
> 
> LOL


Discussing moderation is also prohibited by the rules. If you have a problem with moderation put it in a Private Message to any one of the moderators.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

TG If you read my original post #13 you would have seen the LOL at the end of the post, I was making a joke to Isla. I am not discussing moderation, Isla asked me where I found that rule..........


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## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

eastwind said:


> Gratz!
> 
> At my MS defense the outside professor admitted he hadn't even read the thesis, but pointed out a typo on the title page. I don't know how I did that, but it was serendipitous. If I had it to do over again I'd make sure to print a special title page for the outside professor's copy that had a typo only he could find just so he could contribute something.
> 
> ...


I never took my education seriously - at any level. I don't think I opened a book in HS. I got a BS degree in Marine Biology where I went diving every day and earned money collecting specimens for museums around the world. When I decided I needed to feed myself for real I went back for a MS in computer science. When I had enough credits to get a job I took it.

I got into computers at just the perfect moment. I had some very interesting projects, for some very interesting companies. At 18 months on any project my interest lapsed and I moved on. And (this is what your post reminded me of) I was working for a very large computer company. I told them it was time for me to leave and they made a big effort to find me a new home within the company. By that point I had picked up a handful of patents and pulled a PhD or two along for the ride.

They sent me out to a research lab in the Palo Alto area for an interview. Over the years I had worked with some brilliant people - some of which did not even have a HS diploma. So this interview - everyone had PhD's. First I had to meet with perhaps 10-12 one on one in their offices. Then we had a session where it was all of them throwing questions at me as a group. I was terrible at the group thing. I gave my notice when I got home - without a doubt it was the best decision of my life because of the opportunities it opened up for me.

So - the smartest guy I have ever known (the one without the HS degree) died with 750+ million in the bank. He took two companies to the market. The second smartest person I ever worked with was a kid half my age. He had a GED but he had a mind very few people are born with. There was a project which had perhaps a staff of 500 people working to develop a new OS for a new processor family. They struggled for months with meetings and such. He was allowed to develop an emulator for the new processor on the current technology. In the end his emulator killed the project the others were working on - it was faster !


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

This is a knowledgeable group!

Thanks for all the thanks received! My study language is indeed an Otomaguean language from the cradle of civilization. The text was "one" accepted writing convention, which I have been transcribing to IPA. My other study area was educational policy in Mexico toward indigenous peoples and languages. As many of you might know, Mexico has not been at the forefront of language rights, unless you are talking about pretty political words.

Sending good vibes to all of you in your endeavors, especially Citlali in her indigenous studies.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks xolo all the best to you.


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