Hausa MFA dictionary v2.0.0a#

Maintainer: Montreal Forced Aligner
Language: Hausa
Dialect: N/A
Phone set: MFA
Number of words: 6,647
Phones: aj˥ aj˥˦ aj˩ aw˥ aw˥˦ aw˩ aː˥ aː˥˦ aː˩ a˥ a˥˦ a˩ b c cʼ d dʒ eː˥ eː˥˦ eː˩ e˥ e˥˦ e˩ h iː˥ iː˥˦ iː˩ j j̰ k kʷ kʷʼ kʼ l m n oː˥ oː˥˦ oː˩ o˥ o˩ p r s sʼ t tʃ uː˥ uː˥˦ uː˩ w z ŋ ɓ ɔ˥ ɔ˩ ɗ ə˥ ə˩ ɛ˥ ɛ˥˦ ɛ˩ ɟ ɡ ɡʷ ɪ˥ ɪ˥˦ ɪ˩ ɲ ɸ ɽ ʃ ʊ˥ ʊ˥˦ ʊ˩ ʔ
License: CC BY 4.0
Compatible MFA version: v2.0.0
Citation:

@techreport{mfa_hausa_mfa_dictionary_2022,
	author={McAuliffe, Michael and Sonderegger, Morgan},
	title={Hausa MFA dictionary v2.0.0a},
	address={\url{https://mfa-models.readthedocs.io/pronunciation dictionary/Hausa/Hausa MFA dictionary v2_0_0a.html}},
	year={2022},
	month={May},
}

If you have comments or questions about this dictionary or its phone set, you can check previous MFA model discussion posts or create a new one.

G2P models

Hausa MFA G2P model v2.0.0a

Acoustic models

Hausa MFA acoustic model v2.0.0a

Installation#

Install from the MFA command line:

mfa model download dictionary hausa_mfa

Or download from the release page.

The dictionary available from the release page and command line installation has pronunciation and silence probabilities estimated as part acoustic model training (see Silence probability format and training pronunciation probabilities for more information. If you would like to use the version of this dictionary without probabilities, please see the plain dictionary.

Intended use#

This dictionary is intended for forced alignment of Hausa transcripts.

This dictionary uses the MFA phone set for Hausa, and was used in training the Hausa MFA acoustic model. Pronunciations can be added on top of the dictionary, as long as no additional phones are introduced.

Performance Factors#

When trying to get better alignment accuracy, adding pronunciations is generally helpful, especially for different styles and dialects. The most impactful improvements will generally be seen when adding reduced variants that involve deleting segments/syllables common in spontaneous speech. Alignment must include all phones specified in the pronunciation of a word, and each phone has a minimum duration (by default 10ms). If a speaker pronounces a multisyllabic word with just a single syllable, it can be hard for MFA to fit all the segments in, so it will lead to alignment errors on adjacent words as well.

Ethical considerations#

Deploying any Speech-to-Text model into any production setting has ethical implications. You should consider these implications before use.

Demographic Bias#

You should assume every machine learning model has demographic bias unless proven otherwise. For pronunciation dictionaries, it is often the case that transcription accuracy and lexicon coverage for the prestige variety modeled in this dictionary compared to other variants. If you are using this dictionary in production, you should acknowledge this as a potential issue.

IPA Charts#

Consonants#

Obstruent symbols to the left of are unvoiced and those to the right are voiced.

Vowels#

Vowel symbols to the left of are unrounded and those to the right are rounded.

Diphthongs#

aj
aw

Tones#

˥
˥˦
˩

Manner	Labial	Alveolar	Alveopalatal	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	m Occurrences: 1,794 Examples: * amshi: [ʔ a ˥ m ʃ i ː ˥] * hamid: [h a ˩ m ɪ ˥ ˦ d] * kim: [c ɪ ˥ m] * kumsa: [k ʷ ʊ ˩ m s a ː ˩]	n Occurrences: 2,048 Examples: * nemar: [n e ː ˥ m a ˩ r] * anabi: [ʔ a ˥ n ə ˩ b i ː ˥] * rani: [ɽ ə ˥ n i ː ˥] * juna: [d ʒ ʊ ˩ n a ː ˥]			ɲ Occurrences: 134 Examples: * dinmu: [d ɪ ˥ ɲ m u ː ˩] * hanya: [h ɛ ˥ ɲ j a ː ˩] * yanzu: [j ɛ ˥ ɲ z ɪ ˩] * bunny: [b ʊ ˩ ŋ ɲ j]	ŋ Occurrences: 1,859 Examples: * zaben: [z ə ˩ b e ː ˥ ŋ] * john: [d ʒ a ː ˩ ŋ] * bazan: [b ə ˥ z a ˥ ˦ ŋ] * wunin: [w ʊ ˥ n ɪ ˥ ŋ]
Stop Plain	p Occurrences: 99 Examples: * bappa: [b a ˥ p p ə ˩] * piano: [p ɪ ˩ ə ˥ n o ˥] * opera: [ʔ o ː ˥ p e ː ˥ ɽ a ː ˩] * nepal: [n e ː ˥ p a ˥ ˦ l] b Occurrences: 1,179 Examples: * harbe: [h a ˩ r b e ˩] * baƙo: [b a ː ˩ k ʷ ʼ o ˥] * bakon: [b ə ˥ k ʷ o ː ˩ ŋ] * bar: [b a ˩ r]	t Occurrences: 1,549 Examples: * tasu: [t ə ˩ s ɪ ˥] * wacce: [w a ˥ t ʃ e ː ˩] * wuce: [w ʊ ˥ t ʃ e ː ˩] * taɓin: [t ə ˩ ɓ ɪ ˩ ŋ] d Occurrences: 1,116 Examples: * jiki: [d ʒ ɪ ˩ c i ː ˥] * zhu: [d ʒ ʊ ˩] * gaida: [ɡ a j ˥ d a ː ˩] * daama: [d a ː ˥ m a ː ˩]			c Occurrences: 567 Examples: * ake: [ʔ a ˩ c e ː ˥] * yaƙin: [j ɛ ˩ c ʼ ɪ ˥ ŋ] * ninki: [n ɪ ˥ ɲ c i ː ˩] * keɓe: [c e ː ˥ ɓ e ˩] ɟ Occurrences: 199 Examples: * gin: [ɟ ɪ ˩ ŋ] * buge: [b ʊ ˩ ɟ e ː ˥] * fage: [ɸ ə ˥ ɟ e ː ˥] * gini: [ɟ ɪ ˥ n i ː ˥]	k Occurrences: 1,053 Examples: * ƙarfi: [k ʼ a ˥ ɽ ɸ i ː ˥] * costa: [k ʷ o ː ˥ s t a ː ˩] * ƙwan: [k ʷ ʼ a ˥ ˦ ŋ] * kanmu: [k a ˩ n m u ː ˩] ɡ Occurrences: 416 Examples: * zanga: [z a ˥ ŋ ɡ a ː ˥] * gusum: [ɡ ʷ ʊ ˥ s ɪ ˩ ŋ] * legas: [l e ː ˥ ɡ a ˩ s] * digon: [d ɪ ˥ ɡ ʷ o ː ˩ ŋ]	ʔ Occurrences: 1,052 Examples: * akawu: [ʔ a ˩ k a ː ˩ w ʊ ˥] * aike: [ʔ a j ˥ c e ː ˥] * isa: [ʔ i ː ˥ s a ː ˥] * ibada: [ʔ ɪ ˩ b a ː ˥ d a ː ˩]
Implosive	ɓ Occurrences: 81 Examples: * karɓi: [k a ˥ r ɓ ɪ ˩] * ɓeran: [ɓ e ː ˩ r a ˩ ŋ] * zaɓar: [z a ː ˩ ɓ a ˩ r] * ɓata: [ɓ a ː ˥ t a ː ˩]	ɗ Occurrences: 186 Examples: * shuɗi: [ʃ u ː ˥ ɗ i ː ˩] * ɗa'a: [ɗ a ː ˥ ʔ a ː ˩] * ɗaure: [ɗ a w ˥ ɽ e ː ˥] * ɗayan: [ɗ ɛ ˥ j ŋ]
Affricate			tʃ Occurrences: 578 Examples: * tace: [t ə ˩ t ʃ e ː ˩] * cathy: [t ʃ a ː ˥ t h j] * mace: [m ə ˩ t ʃ e ː ˩] * cewar: [t ʃ e ː ˥ w a ˥ r] dʒ Occurrences: 579 Examples: * jif: [d ʒ ɪ ˥ ˦ ɸ] * jahar: [d ʒ ə ˩ h a ˩ r] * jaki: [d ʒ a ː ˩ c i ː ˥] * jaka: [d ʒ ə ˩ k a ː ˥]
Sibilant Plain		s Occurrences: 1,509 Examples: * busa: [b ʊ ˥ s a ː ˩] * gunus: [ɡ ʷ ʊ ˩ n ɪ ˩ s] * sirdi: [s ɪ ˥ r d i ː ˩] * rusa: [r u ː ˥ s a ː ˩] z Occurrences: 374 Examples: * zura: [z ɪ ˩ r a ː ˩] * baza: [b ə ˥ z a ː ˩] * zanyi: [z a ˩ n j i ː ˥] * zare: [z a ː ˥ ɽ e ː ˩]	ʃ Occurrences: 459 Examples: * ceton: [t ʃ e ː ˩ t a ˥ ŋ] * ashe: [ə ˥ ʃ e ˥] * cuci: [t ʃ ɪ ˥ t ʃ i ː ˥] * marco: [m a ˥ ɽ t ʃ o ː ˥]
Ejective		sʼ Occurrences: 238 Examples: * nutsu: [n u ː ˥ s ʼ u ː ˥] * matsa: [m a ː ˥ s ʼ a ː ˩] * fatsa: [ɸ ə ˥ s ʼ ə ˥] * tsari: [s ʼ ɽ i ː ˥]
Fricative	ɸ Occurrences: 749 Examples: * fatin: [ɸ ə ˥ t ɪ ˩ ŋ] * jefi: [d ʒ e ː ˩ ɸ i ː ˥] * fiya: [ɸ ɪ ˥ j a ː ˩] * gefe: [ɟ e ː ˥ ɸ e ː ˩]						h Occurrences: 758 Examples: * hada: [h a ː ˥ d a ː ˩] * whale: [w h l e ː ˩] * huntu: [h ʊ ˥ n t u ː ˥] * haɗin: [h a ˥ ɗ ɪ ˥ ŋ]
Approximant	w Occurrences: 1,009 Examples: * ɗauka: [ɗ a w ˥ k a ː ˩] * brown: [b r o ː ˥ w ŋ] * ciwon: [t ʃ i ː ˥ w o ː ˩ ŋ] * wane: [w a ˩ n e ˥]				j Occurrences: 1,230 Examples: * saya: [s a ː ˩ j a ː ˥] * haiti: [h a ˥ a j ˥ t i ː ˩] * murya: [m ʊ ˩ r j a ː ˩] * koyi: [k ʷ o ː ˩ j ɪ ˥]
Tap				ɽ Occurrences: 878 Examples: * yara: [j a ː ˥ ɽ a ː ˩] * kauri: [k a w ˥ ɽ i ː ˥] * shiru: [ʃ ɪ ˥ ɽ u ː ˥] * duri: [d u ː ˥ ɽ i ː ˩]
Trill		r Occurrences: 2,032 Examples: * bargo: [b a ˩ r ɡ ʷ o ː ˥] * dokar: [d ɔ ˥ k a ˩ r] * faɗar: [ɸ a ː ˥ ɗ ə ˩ r] * kurar: [k ʷ ʊ ˩ ɽ r]
Lateral		l Occurrences: 1,278 Examples: * bal: [b a ˥ ˦ l] * tilas: [t i ː ˥ l a ˩ s] * hello: [h e ː ˥ l o ː ˥] * bella: [b a ˥ l a ː ˩]

	Front	Near-Front	Central	Near-Back	Back
Close	i Occurrences: 0 Examples: * tsayi: [s ʼ a ː ˩ j i ː ˥] * mani: [m a ː ˥ n i ː ˩] * fadi: [ɸ a ː ˥ d i ː ˩] * soki: [s o ː ˥ c i ː ˩] iː Occurrences: 1,424 Examples: * alehi: [ʔ a ˩ l e ː ˥ h i ː ˩] * sauki: [s a w ˩ c i ː ˥] * siga: [s i ː ˥ ɡ a ː ˩] * wali: [w ə ˩ l i ː ˥ ˦]				u Occurrences: 0 Examples: * juju: [d ʒ ʊ ˩ d ʒ u ː ˩] * lambu: [l a ˩ m b u ː ˥] * hutu': [h u ː ˥ t ɪ ˩ ʔ] * guru: [ɡ ʷ u ː ˥ r u ː ˥] uː Occurrences: 602 Examples: * uƙuba: [ʔ ʊ ˩ k ʷ ʼ u ː ˥ b a ː ˩] * unan: [u ː ˩ n a ˥ ˦ ŋ] * mukam: [m u ː ˥ k a ː ˩ m] * sharu: [ʃ ə ˩ r u ː ˥ ˦]
		ɪ Occurrences: 3,545 Examples: * boyi: [b o ː ˩ j ɪ ˥] * miki: [m ɪ ˥ c i ː ˩] * wudil: [w ʊ ˩ d ɪ ˥ l] * ilmi: [ʔ ɪ ˥ ˦ l m i ː ˥]		ʊ Occurrences: 1,188 Examples: * sahur: [s ə ˩ h ʊ ˥ ˦ r] * tebur: [t e ː ˥ b ʊ ˥ r] * mur: [m ʊ ˥ ˦ r] * hunt: [h ʊ ˥ n t]
Close-Mid	e Occurrences: 208 Examples: * meya: [m e ː ˥ j a ː ˩] * lare: [l a ˥ ɽ e ː ˩] * karbe: [k a ˥ r b e ˩] * yaje: [j a ː ˥ d ʒ e ˩] eː Occurrences: 1,094 Examples: * rushe: [r u ː ˥ ʃ e ː ˩] * jean: [d ʒ e ː ˩ a ˥ ˦ ŋ] * dinke: [d ɪ ˥ ɲ c e ː ˥] * nake: [n ə ˩ c e ː ˥]				o Occurrences: 99 Examples: * bello: [b a ˥ l o ˩] * kogo: [k ʷ o ː ˥ ɡ ʷ o ˥] * motar: [m o ː ˥ t a ˩ r] * redio: [ɽ e ː ˥ d ɪ ˥ o ˥] oː Occurrences: 1,142 Examples: * koka: [k ʷ o ː ˥ k a ː ˩] * tano: [t ə ˩ n o ː ˥ ˦] * fijo: [ɸ ɪ ˩ d ʒ o ː ˥ ˦] * sayo: [s a ː ˩ j o ː ˥ ˦]
			ə Occurrences: 2,806 Examples: * macao: [m ə ˩ t ʃ o ˥] * wade: [w ə ˩ d e ˩] * balas: [b ə ˥ l a ˩ s] * bita: [b ɪ ˥ t ə ˩]
Open-Mid	ɛ Occurrences: 536 Examples: * niyan: [n ɪ ˥ j ɛ ˩ ŋ] * kyat: [c ɛ ˥ ˦ t] * yar: [j ɛ ˥ r] * yaƙin: [j ɛ ˩ c ʼ ɪ ˥ ŋ]				ɔ Occurrences: 80 Examples: * dokan: [d ɔ ˥ k a ˩ ŋ] * manjo: [m a ˥ n d ʒ ɔ ˩] * dokta: [d ɔ ˥ k t a ː ˩] * tabon: [t ə ˥ b ɔ ˩ ŋ]

Open			a Occurrences: 3,126 Examples: * maku: [m a ː ˥ k ʷ ʊ ˩] * habar: [h a ˥ b a ˩ r] * kidan: [c ɪ ˩ d a ˥ ˦ ŋ] * dalar: [d ə ˥ l a ˩ r] aː Occurrences: 4,469 Examples: * silma: [s i ː ˥ l m a ː ˥] * abada: [ʔ a ˩ b ə ˩ d a ː ˥ ˦] * yarje: [j a ː ˥ ɽ d ʒ e ˩] * sauya: [s a w ˥ j a ː ˩]