Glossika is a language learning app offering courses for learning dozens of languages. Most courses are only available for a monthly or yearly subscription but, because of the company’s commitment to languages with fewer available learning resources, they offer unlimited use of the Glossika Sorani course free of charge.
How does the Glossika Sorani course work?
Glossika’s methodology is based on the idea that if learners are presented with natural sentences at the appropriate level of difficulty, they will gradually internalize both words and the grammatical patterns and structures necessary for fluency. The software uses an algorithm to estimate how fresh a sentence is in a learner’s memory and suggests reviewing it at intervals when it is about to be forgotten, to help cement it in long-term memory. The interface and content used to achieve this are simple: First, learners are given a placement test to identify their level in the language. Then they are presented with high-quality audio and written text of Sorani sentences (in either Kurdish script or IPA), along with their English translations. A typical study session to learn new items includes five sentences, repeated at random five times each. In the recommended study mode, learners listen to the Sorani sentences and then record themselves repeating them, but users can also skip recording on a case-by-case basis or set the app to listening-only mode. A second response option allows learners to respond by typing the example sentence instead of speaking them, but I was not able to get this mode to work when I tried it for Sorani.
Review of the Glossika Sorani course
The biggest positive that jumps out while using Glossika is the audio itself. It is very clear and pleasant to listen to. The app makes it easy to listen to high-quality recordings of natural sentences and the simple interface makes it easy to listen to difficult examples over and over. I also liked having the written Sorani text available as an aid when sounds blended together (as often happens in natural speech).
A possible downside is that Glossika may be difficult to use for students who don’t know any Sorani yet because there’s absolutely no explanation or teaching. One help page on the app’s website claims that, “Glossika’s magic happens when you recognize bits and pieces and understand half of a sentence. Your mind finds a way to figure out the other half.” Learners who don’t know any “bits and pieces” yet, might struggle. To fill in some of the gaps, Glossika does offer an excellent video briefly teaching the script and another with a concise overview of the language structure. But some background beyond what’s offered in these videos will be of benefit. As a Sorani beginner, with a few months of learning vocabulary and an understanding of the basic language structures including pronouns, prepositions, and how nouns and verbs work, I felt that while I was using Glossika I was easily able to fill in the bits that I didn’t know. Figuring things out in the language is fun for me, and I have the sense that Glossika’s learning strategy might work very well for some personalities or learning styles and a different Sorani language learning app might be better for others.
One small challenge I faced was with the placement test that Glossika gave me to identify my Sorani level. Even though I am a beginner I was able to answer several test questions correctly, so the test placed me at level B2 or “upper-intermediate”, which is the next-to-highest level. The content was far too difficult . I retook the placement test and answered the level A2 question wrong on purpose in order to start at a lower level, which was still challenging but doable. I found that the app’s design makes it difficult to figure out the appropriate level or to go back down to a lower level after starting a higher one.
For what it is, the Glossika Sorani course works well, but after a few study sessions I found the lack of variety tedious. The app is worth using for supplementary exposure to Sorani or for continued study when Sorani speaking friends aren’t available. It’s also useful for honing pronunciation and intonation and for cementing the grammatical patterns of the language. But it’s not something that I could do for more than 15-20 minutes a day.
How to get started learning Sorani on Glossika
Currently Glossika courses, including the Glossika Sorani course, can only be used via the Glossika website and it works well on mobile devices as well as computers. Android and iOS are currently under development. To get started, simply go to the Glossika Sorani course site, create an account, and get started learning Sorani for free!