No Bosnian On Duolingo? Try 3 Fantastic Alternatives

Original blog post: https://ling-app.com/tips/no-bosnian-on-duolingo/

Unfortunately, there is no Bosnian on Duolingo. But don’t fear! Today we’re going to show you some alternatives and some reasons why you should start learning Bosnian.

Why Should You Learn Bosnian?

Bosnian is linked with two other Slavic languages in the vicinity of the country, the Croatian language, and the Serbian language. Although they are not the same language, you will often see the Acronym BCS to identify the three similar languages.

Economic Potential

The growth of the Bosnian economy has been substantial since the mid-’90s, leading to the point now where it is a potential EU candidate.

In 2015 the government adopted structural reforms known as the ‘reform agenda’ to reduce the public sector and expand the private sector. These are all very promising indicators for a small to a medium-sized business owner.

There are numerous career paths for those who speak one of the BCS languages. Bosnian universities are on the lookout for professors, and Bosnia also plays host to a whole host of NGOs. There are also opportunities in diplomacy and foreign service.

Natural Beauty

Bosnia, and the region generally, has some of the most amazing scenery in the whole world. The most stunning are the Neretva Canyon, the Kravica Waterfalls, and the Sutjeska National Park.

It is also known for its mountains: Jahorina, Vlasic, and Bjelasnica, where you can hike and ski.

Of course, most guides can speak English, but for the full experience, you need to speak Bosnian. There is nothing like hiking through the mountains and having the ability to talk to a local farmer.

Transferability

Learning one Slavic language opens up the door to the rest. As mentioned in the intro, Bosnian is closely related to Croatian and Serbian but is more widely a part of the Slavic branch of Indo-European languages, including language monsters like Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian, which have a total of 350million speakers.

Bosnian Culture And People

Bosnians, like many people in Southern Europe, have a reputation for the tremendous hospitality. As discussed in our Albanian blog, it is customary to always have a spare room in your house prepared in case a visitor turns up in the middle of the night.

Like Turkey, there is a huge coffee culture; expect to see people at all hours, but not like the classic American scene in an Edward Hopper painting; you will not see lonely Bosnians late at night drinking drip coffee alone. Instead, life outside is all about socializing in big groups.

Also, if you love a multicultural vibe, you’ll love the streets of Sarajevo. The three biggest groups in the country are independent with their own unique cultural heritage: the Bosnians, the Serbs, and the Croats.

Why Is There No Bosnian On Duolingo?

1. Bosnian is small in comparison to its neighbors like Russia. Duolingo would prefer to refine its content for these languages with 100’s of millions of speakers than focus on something smaller.
2. The Bosnian language has a complicated history. Twenty-five years ago, there was only one language- Serbo Croatian, which split into many smaller languages. If Duolingo did Bosnian, then it may feel pressured into doing all of the other Balkan languages.
3. Duolingo is committed to only the smaller languages that are about to go extinct, such as Navajo.

What Are The Alternatives To Duolingo?

One very obvious recommendation is video. My first go-to when I start learning a second language is usually Youtube. Unfortunately, there isn’t that much good content for Bosnian. How to speak Bosnian is a good resource, although it’s been well over a year since they last added any content to their page. I think it’s important for a Youtube channel to keep providing new content because language learning styles are evolving so rapidly.

There is a decent website called learnbosnian.club. They have a nice enough user interface with flashcard practice, taking you through the alphabet, practical vocabulary, basic grammar concepts, and more than a few phrases.

What could be particularly useful is their collection of Bosnian media. More and more, I find that learners are best suited to learning a foreign language through video content. Unfortunately, they only have English subtitles in their videos. Although it is still beneficial to learn Bosnian with English subtitles, it is even more helpful to learn Bosnian with Bosnian subtitles.

Learn Bosnian With Ling

Far and away, the best option for learning Bosnian online is the Ling app. Simya Solutions has been making language learning fun since 2015.

The advantage Ling has over its competitors is the dynamism of the platform. When you visit a learn Bosnian Youtube channel or website, you get the sense that somebody has created it as a passion project and then grown bored of it and stopped adding new content.

Ling has a dedicated team of engineers and customer support solving problems in real-time and answering customers if they have any issues.

The other thing is that it is easy for students to follow a language learning plan. You don’t have to do that when you’re learning your native language, but it’s crucial for a second language. Ling organizes things for you, and lack of organization is why so many people fail when they embark on their journey.

Although we’re still in the process of developing our Bosnian blog, we currently have a Serbian blog that describes many aspects of the culture as well as offers grammar and vocabulary help.

Come over to our website today and start learning Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian. We have all 3!