# Linguistics

> Use when working with academic linguistics: phonetics/phonology and IPA transcription (Russian, English, French), morphosyntax with interlinear glossing, corpus analysis (RNC, COCA/BNC, French corpora), historical linguistics and reconstruction, language comparison, parsing sentences or word forms. Also suitable for planning French learning from scratch and preparing teaching materials in linguistics.

- Skill: `gloomyweather/linguistics` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 6 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add gloomyweather/linguistics`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/gloomyweather/linguistics/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: gloomyweather (https://skillmd.com/u/gloomyweather)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/gloomyweather/linguistics

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# Linguistics (Academic Linguistics)

Reference skill for academic linguistics with a focus on Russian, English,
and French. Methodology + working tools; detailed material is in
`references/`.

## When to Use

- Phonetic/phonological analysis, IPA transcription of words and sentences (RU/EN/FR)
- Morphological and syntactic analysis, glosses, inflectional analysis
- Corpus analysis: queries, frequency, collocations, quantitative methods
- Historical linguistics: language comparison, reconstruction, sound laws
- Planning French learning from scratch (or preparing teaching materials)

**Not for:** plain text translation (without linguistic analysis), generative
AI/NLP engineering, language learning without an academic framework.

## Routing

Load the reference for the task:

| Task | Reference |
|---|---|
| IPA, transcription, phonetic analysis | `references/phonetics-phonology.md` |
| Morphology, syntax, glosses, typology | `references/morphosyntax.md` |
| Corpora, frequency, collocations, statistics | `references/corpus.md` |
| Comparative-historical method, reconstruction | `references/historical.md` |
| Learning French from scratch, plan, French phonetics | `references/french.md` |

Combine references for mixed tasks (for example, historical phonology
→ `historical.md` + `phonetics-phonology.md`).

## Methodology

1. **Determine the language and level**: linguistic analysis requires specifying the language
   and (for corpora) register/period. Default: Russian, English,
   French — as specified by the user.
2. **Load the needed reference** and follow its conventions.
3. **Format the result according to academic conventions**:
   - IPA — in square brackets `[ ]` for allophones, in slashes `/ /` for phonemes.
   - Glosses — interlinearly according to Leipzig rules (see morphosyntax.md).
   - Corpus data — always with indication of corpus, sample size, and period.
4. **Separate analysis and interpretation**: describe what is observed (form) separately
   from explanations (function/hypothesis), mark hypotheses as hypotheses.
5. **Verify data against primary sources** (corpora, dictionaries, reference works),
   not from model memory. Mark anything doubtful explicitly.

## Quick Reference

- Phonemes RU/EN/FR: see phonetics-phonology.md → vowel/consonant tables.
- Glossing: see morphosyntax.md → Leipzig rules + list of abbreviations.
- Corpora: RNC `ruscorpora.ru`, COCA/BNC `english-corpora.org`, French —
  FrTenTen (SketchEngine), Est Républicain/Leipzig. More details in corpus.md.
- Sound laws Proto-Slavic → Russian: second palatalization, loss of reduced vowels,
  akanye. More details in historical.md.

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Correct approach |
|---|---|
| Transcription based on spelling rather than pronunciation | Transcribe according to actual pronunciation (for RU — taking vowel reduction into account) |
| Confusing a phoneme and an allophone | Check minimal pairs; mark allophones with square brackets |
| Glosses without abbreviations or without word order | Follow Leipzig rules: form on the line under the word, abbreviations in capitals |
| Frequency without normalization | Normalize per million word forms (ipm), indicate corpus size |
| Etymological claims without verification | Verify against etymological dictionaries; cognate ≠ borrowing |
| Learning a language "from a textbook at random" | Use french.md: a CEFR-level plan + phonetics before grammar |