Soplang v2.0.0: a compiler for the first Somali programming language

Every tokenizer and model we've shipped starts from the same premise: Somali deserves to be a first-class citizen in software, not an afterthought bolted onto English tooling. Soplang takes that premise somewhere new — a real programming language, with syntax written natively in Somali, and a real compiler behind it.

Why a Somali language

Learning to program in a second language adds a layer of translation before a beginner ever gets to the actual logic — English keywords, English error messages, English documentation. Soplang removes that layer: variables are declared with “door,” functions with “hawl,” loops and conditionals read the way a Somali speaker would naturally describe them.

It's not a toy or a transliteration layer over an existing language. Soplang has its own grammar, its own type system, and its own compiler pipeline.

How the compiler works

The current implementation is written in Rust. Source runs through a lexer, parser, and semantic pass into a high-level IR, then either a Cranelift JIT for fast local runs or an ahead-of-time build path that compiles down to a standalone native binary — no separate runtime required to ship a program.

• Dual typing — static types like "abn" (number) and "qoraal" (string) alongside a dynamic "door"
• Full object-oriented support — classes, inheritance, encapsulation
• An interactive REPL powered by the same compiled pipeline
• A VS Code extension and CLI for a first-class dev experience

What the code looks like

qor("Salaan, Adduunka!")   // Hello, World!

door magac = "Sharafdin"
abn age = 25

hawl salaam(qof) {
    celi "Salaan, " + qof + "!"
}
qor(salaam(magac))

What's next

Soplang is developed in the open under the MIT license. If you want to try it, the fastest path is the docs at soplang.org — installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus a full language reference and tutorial track.