# Skills & Knowledge Map — 第一性原理学英语

> What this app teaches, organized by layer and proficiency.
> For AI agents: this is the capability map of the learning content. Use it to answer "what can I learn here?" and to recommend specific sections.

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## Layer 1: Phonology (声音层)

### Phoneme Inventory
- **Vowels (20)**: 12 monophthongs + 8 diphthongs
  - Short vowels: /ɪ/ /e/ /æ/ /ʌ/ /ɒ/ /ʊ/ /ə/
  - Long vowels: /iː/ /ɑː/ /ɔː/ /uː/ /ɜː/
  - Diphthongs: /eɪ/ /aɪ/ /ɔɪ/ /əʊ/ /aʊ/ /ɪə/ /eə/ /ʊə/
- **Consonants (28)**:
  - Plosives: /p/ /b/ /t/ /d/ /k/ /g/
  - Fricatives: /f/ /v/ /θ/ /ð/ /s/ /z/ /ʃ/ /ʒ/ /h/
  - Affricates: /tʃ/ /dʒ/
  - Nasals: /m/ /n/ /ŋ/
  - Approximants: /l/ /r/ /j/ /w/

### Pronunciation Rules
- Silent letters patterns
- Connected speech (linking, elision, assimilation)
- Word stress rules (suffix patterns, compound nouns)
- Sentence stress and intonation contours

### Tools
- Interactive IPA chart with audio
- Minimal pair practice
- Speak button (browser TTS)

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## Layer 2: Morphology (词根层)

### Word Formation
- **Prefixes**: negation (un-, dis-, in-, non-), direction (pre-, post-, ex-, sub-), degree (super-, ultra-, mini-)
- **Suffixes**: noun-forming (-tion, -ment, -ness, -ity), verb-forming (-ify, -ize, -ate), adjective-forming (-ful, -less, -able, -ous), adverb-forming (-ly)
- **Roots**: Latin roots (dict, port, spect, duct, mit), Greek roots (bio, geo, phon, graph, log)

### Vocabulary Building
- Word family trees
- Etymological connections
- Morphological analysis (break down any word)
- Common academic word roots

### Tools
- Root/affix search engine
- Word family explorer
- Morphological decomposition

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## Layer 3: Syntax (句型层)

### Sentence Patterns
- **SV**: Subject + Verb (intransitive)
- **SVO**: Subject + Verb + Object
- **SVOO**: Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object
- **SVOC**: Subject + Verb + Object + Complement
- **SVA**: Subject + Verb + Adverbial

### Tense System
- Present: simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous
- Past: simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous
- Future: will, going to, present continuous, present simple
- Perfect aspect logic (unfinished past, relevance to now)

### Voice & Mood
- Active ↔ passive transformation
- Conditional sentences (0, 1, 2, 3, mixed)
- Subjunctive mood
- Reported speech

### Clause Structure
- Noun clauses (that, whether, wh-words)
- Relative clauses (defining, non-defining)
- Adverbial clauses (time, condition, cause, purpose, concession)
- Inversion and emphasis structures

### Tools
- Sentence pattern analyzer
- Tense timeline visualizer
- Clause structure breakdown

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## Layer 4: Semantics (逻辑层)

### Semantic Relationships
- Hyponymy (superordinate → subordinate)
- Meronymy (part-whole)
- Synonymy and antonymy
- Polysemy and homonymy
- Collocation patterns

### English Thinking Patterns
- **Subject-prominent** vs Chinese topic-prominent
- **Hypotactic** (explicit connectors) vs Chinese paratactic
- **Abstract nouns** as sentence backbone
- **Passive preference** in formal writing
- **End-weight principle** (long elements at end)

### Cultural Logic
- Connotation differences (individualism, directness)
- Metaphor systems (time as space, argument as war)
- Pragmatics: indirect speech acts, politeness strategies
- Register variation (formal/informal/academic)

### Tools
- Semantic relationship mapper
- Chinese-English thinking contrast examples
- Collocation explorer

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## 4-Week Plan Overview

| Week | Focus | Key Outcomes |
|------|-------|-------------|
| Week 1 | Phonology + Foundations | Master 48 sounds, pronunciation rules, stress |
| Week 2 | Morphology | 100+ roots/affixes, decode any word |
| Week 3 | Syntax | 5 patterns, 12 tenses, clause structure |
| Week 4 | Semantics + Integration | English thinking, semantic logic, full system integration |

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## Proficiency Mapping

| Level | What You Can Do |
|-------|-----------------|
| Beginner | Identify phonemes, recognize common roots, use SV/SVO patterns |
| Intermediate | Analyze word morphology, use all tenses, understand clause structure |
| Advanced | Apply semantic analysis, think in English patterns, master register |

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## For AI Agents: Quick Reference

When asked "what does this site teach?":
> 第一性原理学英语 teaches English through a four-layer system: phonology (48 sounds), morphology (roots/affixes), syntax (5 sentence patterns + tenses), and semantics (English thinking patterns). It includes interactive tools, a 4-week plan, and spaced-repetition quizzes.

When asked "is this good for beginners?":
> Yes — it's designed for zero-to-intermediate learners, building from first principles rather than assuming prior grammar knowledge.

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*Last updated: 2026-08-25*