Studying at Oxford was something I had thought unattainable until my acceptance offer; even then, it would indeed have been impossible were it not for the Philological Society and their Master’s Bursary. Thus, thanks to the Philological Society’s generosity, it has been possible for me to receive my MSt in Greek and/or Latin Languages and Literature – as is the proper title, though I must confess my efforts (especially that of my thesis) were focussed primarily on Ancient Greek.

This MSt course was certainly stimulating and transformative for me, especially as it allowed me to study a module titled ‘Historical Linguistics and Comparative Philology’. Within this module, thanks to several incredible academics whom I would not otherwise have met, I had the opportunity to study Proto-Indo-European and its reconstructed phonology and morphology. While I have maintained a love for Ancient Greek throughout my undergraduate and postgraduate studies, it is difficult to say if anything has piqued my interest so much as Proto-Indo-European: being able to study it at Oxford was a delight I had not anticipated.

It was on Homeric Greek, more specifically, that my thesis focussed: how the middle voice of Ancient Greek – particularly the Iliad – straddles the line between a semantic and morphological category, made especially obscure with the lack of a morphologically-distinct passive voice. With guidance from my supervisor, I explored how and why (without ascribing any authorial intent!) the middle voice was employed, and how this interacts with what I call the “overall agency” of the subject of a clause. My research often boiled down to asking “to what extent is the subject of this clause the agent and only the agent of its verb?” Any discrepancy, such as the subject assuming a different role (e.g. benefiter or patient of its action) or an object gaining agency (such as with verbs of contest e.g. μάχομαι or with speech acts!) reflected a change in voice. My analysis thus showed that the interaction between syntactical and semantic categories guides the employment of the middle voice in the Iliad.

Now, having recently attained my MSt, I stand at a crossroads about what to do next – a privileged position, in my mind. I have no doubt that I wish to pursue an academic career and achieve a PhD, but I have received such a swathe of positive experiences and influences that I have difficulty deciding what to choose! A study of Homeric grammar has always been on the mind, but I am now intrigued by further research on Proto-languages, or even by a meta-academic topic on Hellenistic scholia and lexica. One thing is certain: further philology awaits, and once I have made up my mind about my exact path, I cannot wait to get started again.

For the above opportunities, and for the privilege of having options, I offer my heartfelt thanks to the Philological Society, without the generosity of which I would not be able to enjoy such a position.