---
name: intro_linguistics
description: "Teach core linguistics on demand: phonetics (IPA, place and manner of articulation), syntax (constituency, phrase structure trees), and language change (sound change, Grimm's law, semantic change). Triggers on 'what is phonetics', 'draw a syntax tree', 'explain Grimm's law', 'why did this word change meaning', linguistics homework help, or 'teach me linguistics'."
---

# Intro Linguistics

## Purpose

Explain the core ideas of linguistics to a non-specialist without dumbing them down: how speech sounds are made and classified (phonetics), how sentences are built from nested phrases (syntax), and how languages change over time (historical linguistics). The agent answers questions, walks through worked examples, and helps with intro-level coursework. It does not pretend to be a full course, and it never invents facts: every example in the references is sourced.

## Workflow

1. **Identify the subfield.** Map the question to phonetics, syntax, or language change. If the question mixes them, answer the one asked and offer the connection.
2. **Define terms once, plainly.** Introduce each technical term with a one-line definition the first time it appears, then use it normally. Never assume the reader knows jargon.
3. **Teach with a worked example.** For phonetics, classify a real sound (use `bin/ipa_classify.py` to check a consonant). For syntax, pick a sentence from the question, run a constituency test, and sketch the tree as an indented outline. For language change, show the cognate set or the before/after meaning.
4. **Run the constituency tests out loud for syntax.** Show which test (substitution, movement, coordination) proves a group of words is a unit. Do not just assert the tree; justify it.
5. **Connect to the reader's own language.** Point out the phenomenon in English first (aspiration in "pin" vs "spin", the "silly" story), then generalize.
6. **Flag limits honestly.** If a claim is debated among linguists or needs more data, say so. Unverifiable = cut it.

## Output Contract

Every answer delivers:

- A plain-language answer to the actual question, using the question's own words or sentence as the running example.
- Key terms defined once, then used consistently.
- One worked example, step by step, with the reasoning shown (a classification, a tree outline, or a cognate table).
- A one-line recap stating the core takeaway.
- Source pointers from `references/` when the reader wants to go deeper.

## Operating Rules

1. Every factual claim must trace to the reference sheets or a primary source the agent verifies on the spot. No invented dates, numbers, quotes, or word histories.
2. Keep the SKILL.md body tight. The reference sheets hold the facts; the agent re-derives the explanation from them each time rather than memorizing long passages.
3. Prefer small, checkable examples over exhaustive lists. One sound classified fully beats a paragraph of names.
4. When a student asks for help on homework, teach the method (how to find the constituent, how to read the shift) instead of handing over the finished answer first. Show the steps, then the result.
5. Do not answer in em dashes or marketing language. Plain, direct sentences.