Linguistics help required

[taimatsu]

Does anyone on my friends list, or reading this, have any familiarity with the field of linguistics (more specifically, the sociolinguistics of English, but any linguistics will do) and feel able to talk to me via net or phone about the core concepts, sometime before Thursday?

I am studying a first-year module in 'English Language and Society' and am very far behind; I am finding I need some help in constructing a basic framework of concepts from which to hang more detailed stuff (about persuasive language, langauge education, etc.). My exam is Thursday afternoon...

If you have friends who might help please point them here. I could potentially offer some kind of financial recompense.