Glossika methods

[solaren]

I have been using Glossika in my study of Japanese. I've landed on a rather strenuous approach, but it has been extremely effective for me and I plan on continuing it. It's a simple method though and I highly recommend it for anyone with enough study time to pull it off. You'll need to dedicate 1.5 - 2 hours a day to this approach.

Before I get into the details let me first say that I don't think this is suitable for true beginners in the language. There are two reasons for this, the first being that Glossika has a fair amount of translation errors and the second being that Glossika does not provide any explicit instruction. As far as errors go, I haven't found any to be truly egregious; but once in a while there are things lost in translation, or problems with tense, etc. This isn't just a problem with Glossika by the way, I have yet to find a Japanese learning resource that isn't riddled with errors. Assimil is particularly bad in this regard. So, I really recommend that you complete at least one beginner resource like a college textbook before doing this method so you can catch the errors as they come up and correct them.

OK, so here's the method. It's incredibly simple.

1. Type or copy and paste the sentences into Anki (free software, download it if you don't have it). The Glossika .pdf files are locked so you'll need to save new copies of them that allow you to copy and paste if you want to go that route. A simple google search will show you how to do that.
2. Check each sentence as you enter it to make sure that it is not only correct, but also make sure it contains all the necessary information to be viewed out of order. Some sentences in Glossika are responses to questions and they omit the subject from the question.

For example, "Are you thirsty?" "No, I'm not."

Should be put into anki as:

"Are you thirsty?" "No, I'm not (thirsty)."

3. Review your sentences in Anki with the AwesomeTTS plugin. This plugin enables text-to-speech functionality. You'll have to experiment with different voices, but I've found the Japanese voices to be very high quality and worth the extra effort. When reviewing your Anki sentences you need to make sure you are staying ahead of the actual GSR listening files. About 20 sentences per day are necessary to stay ahead of the GSR and give you time to first learn the material through Anki. When encountering sentences in Anki, look up any words or grammar forms you aren't familiar with. Spend as much time as you need to with the sentence, and add any additional notes or corrections to the card that are helpful.

4. Next, listen to a GSR file. If you are just starting out, I'd recommend starting this on day 2 or 3 of this study program. That way you've had sufficient time to get a head start using Anki. Each GSR file is about 20 minutes long, but this method will take about an hour. The process goes like this:

1. Listen to L1 speaker.
2. Pause.
3. Give L2 response. You can give multiple L2 responses as you become more comfortable in the language.
4. Listen to the L2 speaker.
5. Pause.
6. Repeat the L2 speaker's dialog as closely as possible.

Take your time with this, and feel free to take breaks if necessary. By the end of the hour you will probably feel very tired. When you are finished, make a note of the next day's GSR file that you will listen to so you don't lose track of what day you are on.


It will take about 10 - 12 months to finish Glossika using this method, but you should have internalized the material very well by the end of it. I've been doing the method for some weeks now and noticed very rapid gains in my ability to speak fluidly and form sentences in conversation. My Japanese language partner even mentioned that my speech is more fluid and my listening comprehension has improved. He wasn't aware of any changes to my study routine when he gave the compliment.

If anyone has questions about any of this feel free to ask.

[solaren]

Sounds like a good idea, I wish Glossika allowed this natively. Glossika app on Android with flashcards and the like.

Is your work automatizable and applicable to other courses?

How satisfied are you with that method, anyway? How would you change it?

I used mp3splt's silence detection function. If you can set the right db level-which I dont remember right now-, you can split the files at once. But it is not as easy as I write here. Roughly I worked 4-5 hours on each level to make them suitable for anki. As for the results, well, it helped me to a certain degree but not as much as they claim. I think there are more useful programs out there, like fsi. And for that reason I did not continue to use and spend time on glossika level 3, instead of inclined to use fsi more heavily. Maybe later I can give it a shot again.

I think that only inputting sentences from Glossika into Anki doesn't take advantage of Glossika's strengths. The GSR files are an amazing resource to practice your speaking and listening, and I think that's where the real potential in the system is. Doing Glossika without using the GSR files to practice production is like using FSI without all of the pattern drills, you won't internalize the language nearly as well as you would otherwise.

[roni]

I have the Finnish-Estonian course, and I have to say that the Finnish translation is excellent. It's exactly the real Finnish we speak here.

Try shadowing the GSR files as well, if you feel like it!

Actually it was your recommendation which made me interested in Glossika Finnish in the first place.
It looks like you live in capital area as I do and you said dialect of the recordings is exactly the Helsinki area dialect.

I use GSR when I have time but GMS is my main learning tool. When I finish the program I might have another pass on Fluency 2 and 3 with GSR files doing shadowing.

[Henkkles]

I have the Finnish-Estonian course, and I have to say that the Finnish translation is excellent. It's exactly the real Finnish we speak here.

Try shadowing the GSR files as well, if you feel like it!

Actually it was your recommendation which made me interested in Glossika Finnish in the first place.
It looks like you live in capital area as I do and you said dialect of the recordings is exactly the Helsinki area dialect.

I use GSR when I have time but GMS is my main learning tool. When I finish the program I might have another pass on Fluency 2 and 3 with GSR files doing shadowing.

Great, I hope you're happy with the recommendation!

I got to thinking how I'd use Glossika to learn a (for me) completely foreign language (non Uralic/IE)

1. Ten new sentences every day
Copy them into a notebook, do a gloss (morpheme by morpheme translation/analysis), check the meaning of every single word, write notes about the syntax, practice pronouncing them at least ten times, spend around three minutes with each one
2. One file of GSR every day
Pause after each L1 sentence to recall the TL sentence, say it out loud and then repeat it when the native speaker says it

This should amount to about an hour of daily work. If someone wants to try this, please tell me how you found it.

[solaren]

I got to thinking how I'd use Glossika to learn a (for me) completely foreign language (non Uralic/IE)

1. Ten new sentences every day
Copy them into a notebook, do a gloss (morpheme by morpheme translation/analysis), check the meaning of every single word, write notes about the syntax, practice pronouncing them at least ten times, spend around three minutes with each one
2. One file of GSR every day
Pause after each L1 sentence to recall the TL sentence, say it out loud and then repeat it when the native speaker says it

This should amount to about an hour of daily work. If someone wants to try this, please tell me how you found it.

This is essentially what I am currently doing, except I use Anki to store the sentences instead of a notebook. The GSR actually takes closer to 1 hour each day, not 30 minutes. Overall I feel it's a very effective study routine.

[Henkkles]

I got to thinking how I'd use Glossika to learn a (for me) completely foreign language (non Uralic/IE)

1. Ten new sentences every day
Copy them into a notebook, do a gloss (morpheme by morpheme translation/analysis), check the meaning of every single word, write notes about the syntax, practice pronouncing them at least ten times, spend around three minutes with each one
2. One file of GSR every day
Pause after each L1 sentence to recall the TL sentence, say it out loud and then repeat it when the native speaker says it

This should amount to about an hour of daily work. If someone wants to try this, please tell me how you found it.

This is essentially what I am currently doing, except I use Anki to store the sentences instead of a notebook. The GSR actually takes closer to 1 hour each day, not 30 minutes. Overall I feel it's a very effective study routine.

I'm curious, why the double SSR? As I understand GSR has already been programmed to work like SSR, so why do you feel the need to add them to ANKI as well?

[solaren]

I'm curious, why the double SSR? As I understand GSR has already been programmed to work like SSR, so why do you feel the need to add them to ANKI as well?

Anki and Glossika use different SSR algorithms. Glossika front-loads the reps more heavily and Anki spaces them out further apart. So far I think they work together very well. Also, Anki helps me practice reading since I put L2 on the front and L1 on the back. It also allows me to correct the many translation errors in the Glossika files. When a sentence shows up in Anki the L1 or L2 translation have been corrected if necessary. If I were to only use the Glossika books, I'd continually run into many errors during reading practice and I'd have to avoid accidentally reading the L1 text.

[Henkkles]

I'm curious, why the double SSR? As I understand GSR has already been programmed to work like SSR, so why do you feel the need to add them to ANKI as well?

Anki and Glossika use different SSR algorithms. Glossika front-loads the reps more heavily and Anki spaces them out further apart. So far I think they work together very well. Also, Anki helps me practice reading since I put L2 on the front and L1 on the back. It also allows me to correct the many translation errors in the Glossika files. When a sentence shows up in Anki the L1 or L2 translation have been corrected if necessary. If I were to only use the Glossika books, I'd continually run into many errors during reading practice and I'd have to avoid accidentally reading the L1 text.

Good to know. You're aiming for 100,000< reps I assume?

[roni]

Great, I hope you're happy with the recommendation!

I got to thinking how I'd use Glossika to learn a (for me) completely foreign language (non Uralic/IE)

1. Ten new sentences every day
Copy them into a notebook, do a gloss (morpheme by morpheme translation/analysis), check the meaning of every single word, write notes about the syntax, practice pronouncing them at least ten times, spend around three minutes with each one
2. One file of GSR every day
Pause after each L1 sentence to recall the TL sentence, say it out loud and then repeat it when the native speaker says it

This should amount to about an hour of daily work. If someone wants to try this, please tell me how you found it.

Yes, I'm happy with it. It brings results which is the most important thing. But it is not for everybody. One needs to be self-driven person to be able to go through the program.

For me Finnish was totally foreign. In the beginning I tried different approaches but I really moved forward when I acquired basic vocabulary of 1000 words or so. I did it using some paid service. Probably after that one can start reading and use Glossika. I wouldn't start Glossika for completely unrelated language from the very beginning. It is doable I guess but it would be too laborious figuring out all the basic words and grammar.

I'm thinking about studying Serbian and Polish with Glossika some time later. Perhaps when I reach B2 in Finnish. With there languages I would probably be able to go straight to Glossika.

[snowflake]

For anyone who is chorusing or shadowing the GSR files, I am settling into a routine where generally 1 to 3 files are worked daily. For example do….
• Fluency 2 #50 walking to the office in the morning. This is the new material.
• Review a Fluency file that is 30 days back so in this example it would be Fluency 2 #20. That is done either at lunchtime or the after work walk from the office to the train station.
• Review Travel #20 either during the after walk from the office to the train station or during the walk to my house from the local train station.

When I can only do 2 files, then will try to alternate between whether the 2nd is a Fluency or Travel review.

My memory is extremely poor so the reviews are very important.

Example of the routine where each line represents a given day
F2 #35, review Travel #5
F2 #36, review F2 #6
F2 #37
F2 #38
F2 #39
F2 #40
F2 #41, review F2 #11, review Travel #11 (didn’t mean to skip this long without working Travel)
F2 #42
F2 #43, review F2 #13, review Travel #13
F2 #44
F2 #45, review F2 #15
F2 #46, review F2 #16, review Travel #16
F2 #47
F2 #48, review F2 #18
F2 #49, review Travel #19

I will probably buy the Daily Life material but am delaying until after completing Fluency 123 the first time around. I also work with native materials and have a lot of other material. Glossika is sort of my substitute for FSI drills.

And for perspective...
: 5 / 36 David and Helen In China (textbook)
: 104 / 104 : 51 / 104 : 0 / 104 Glossika Fluency 123
: 43740 / 90000 Chorusing Using Glossika – Goal is 90,000 Repetitions
: 574 / 3000 2016 Output Challenge - Audio
: 10 / 15 Read Chinese, Book 2 (Yale Mirror Series)
: 4 / 23 Tales and Traditions Vol 1

Technically I'm finished with the Glossika Travel material which is why it is not reflected in the progress bars.

10/7; made some grammar and typo corrections