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Swahili MFA dictionary v2.0.0a#

  • Maintainer: Montreal Forced Aligner

  • Language: Swahili

  • Dialect: N/A

  • Phone set: MFA

  • Number of words: 34,364

  • Phones: b d dʒ f h i iː j k l m n p s t tʃ u uː v w x z ð ŋ ɑ ɑː ɓ ɔ ɔː ɗ ɛ ɛː ɠ ɡ ɣ ɱ ɲ ɾ ʃ ʄ θ

  • License: CC BY 4.0

  • Compatible MFA version: v2.0.0

  • Citation:

@techreport{mfa_swahili_mfa_dictionary_2022,
	author={McAuliffe, Michael and Sonderegger, Morgan},
	title={Swahili MFA dictionary v2.0.0a},
	address={\url{https://mfa-models.readthedocs.io/pronunciation dictionary/Swahili/Swahili MFA dictionary v2_0_0a.html}},
	year={2022},
	month={May},
}

G2P models

Acoustic models
../../_images/full_logo_yellow.svg

Installation#

Install from the MFA command line:

mfa model download dictionary swahili_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 Swahili transcripts.

This dictionary uses the MFA phone set for Swahili, and was used in training the Swahili 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.

Manner

Labial

Labiodental

Dental

Alveolar

Alveopalatal

Palatal

Velar

Glottal

Nasal
Occurrences:
13,053
Examples:
* mteja:
[m t ɛ d ʒ ɑ]
* kombo:
[k ɔ m b ɔ]
* mtu:
[m t u]
* mkasa:
[m k ɑ s ɑ]
Occurrences:
219
Examples:
* mfano:
[ɱ f ɑ n ɔ]
* mfike:
[ɱ f i k ɛ]
* mfugo:
[ɱ f u ɠ ɔ]
* mvezo:
[ɱ v ɛ z ɔ]
Occurrences:
14,657
Examples:
* duni:
[d u n i]
* nan:
[n ɑ n]
* tian:
[t i ɑ n]
* twin:
[t w i n]
Occurrences:
1,484
Examples:
* nyali:
[ɲ ɑ l i]
* anywe:
[ɑ ɲ w ɛ]
* nyayo:
[ɲ ɑ j ɔ]
* nyada:
[ɲ ɑ ɗ ɑ]
Occurrences:
3,735
Examples:
* yanga:
[j ɑ ŋ ɡ ɑ]
* mungu:
[m u ŋ ɡ u]
* tungo:
[t u ŋ ɡ ɔ]
* hangi:
[h ɑ ŋ ɡ i]

Stop Plain
Occurrences:
4,375
Examples:
* upana:
[u p ɑ n ɑ]
* meupe:
[m ɛ u p ɛ]
* chips:
[t ʃ i p s]
* tipp:
[t i p]
Occurrences:
2,452
Examples:
* lambo:
[l ɑ m b ɔ]
* bona:
[b ɔ n ɑ]
* babel:
[b ɑ ɓ ɛ l]
* busu:
[b u s u]
Occurrences:
10,788
Examples:
* vocha:
[v ɔ t ʃ ɑ]
* grant:
[ɡ ɾ ɑ n t]
* fiti:
[f i t i]
* uchu:
[u t ʃ u]
Occurrences:
2,670
Examples:
* jumbe:
[d ʒ u m b ɛ]
* wjia:
[w d ʒ i ɑ]
* gwiji:
[ɡ w i d ʒ i]
* mkojo:
[m k ɔ d ʒ ɔ]
Occurrences:
18,250
Examples:
* tamko:
[t ɑ m k ɔ]
* kitui:
[k i t u i]
* kwako:
[k w ɑ k ɔ]
* kede:
[k ɛ ɗ ɛ]
Occurrences:
3,968
Examples:
* wingi:
[w i ŋ ɡ i]
* grau:
[ɡ ɾ ɑ u]
* gates:
[ɡ ɑ t ɛ s]
* gundi:
[ɡ u n d i]

Implosive
Occurrences:
2,697
Examples:
* ajibu:
[ɑ d ʒ i ɓ u]
* vibao:
[v i ɓ ɑ ɔ]
* aruba:
[ɑ ɾ u ɓ ɑ]
* labre:
[l ɑ ɓ ɾ ɛ]
Occurrences:
1,742
Examples:
* abdil:
[ɑ ɓ ɗ i l]
* wadoe:
[w ɑ ɗ ɔ ɛ]
* kadri:
[k ɑ ɗ ɾ i]
* dada:
[d ɑ ɗ ɑ]
Occurrences:
1,786
Examples:
* soglo:
[s ɔ ɠ l ɔ]
* zigi:
[z i ɠ i]
* njuga:
[n d ʒ u ɠ ɑ]
* agca:
[ɑ ɠ k]

Affricate
Occurrences:
2,025
Examples:
* uchao:
[u t ʃ ɑ ɔ]
* chafu:
[t ʃ ɑ f u]
* nchi:
[n t ʃ i]
* nchii:
[n t ʃ i ː]
Occurrences:
3,463
Examples:
* mtaji:
[m t ɑ d ʒ i]
* jimmy:
[d ʒ i m i]
* hajui:
[h ɑ d ʒ u i]
* jama:
[d ʒ ɑ m ɑ]

Sibilant
Occurrences:
5,493
Examples:
* plus:
[p l u s]
* msije:
[m s i d ʒ ɛ]
* snake:
[s n ɛ k]
* hasi:
[h ɑ s i]
Occurrences:
6,484
Examples:
* zumbu:
[z u m b u]
* mzima:
[m z i m ɑ]
* nguzo:
[ŋ ɡ u z ɔ]
* ziada:
[z i ɑ ɗ ɑ]
Occurrences:
4,283
Examples:
* kushi:
[k u ʃ i]
* shaba:
[ʃ ɑ ɓ ɑ]
* flash:
[f l ɑ ʃ]
* roush:
[ɾ ɔ u ʃ]

Fricative
Occurrences:
3,394
Examples:
* dufu:
[d u f u]
* vifo:
[v i f ɔ]
* uefa:
[u ɛ f ɑ]
* chifu:
[t ʃ i f u]
Occurrences:
2,216
Examples:
* vipi:
[v i p i]
* wivu:
[w i v u]
* vyeti:
[v j ɛ t i]
* glavu:
[ɡ l ɑ v u]
Occurrences:
315
Examples:
* the:
[θ ɛ]
* edith:
[ɛ ɗ i θ]
* youth:
[j ɔ u θ]
* this:
[θ i s]
Occurrences:
581
Examples:
* dhidi:
[ð i ɗ i]
* riyad:
[ɾ i j ɑ ð ɑ]
* dhabi:
[ð ɑ ɓ i]
* idhaa:
[i ð ɑ ː]
Occurrences:
4,883
Examples:
* aaah:
[ɑ ː h]
* hold:
[h ɔ l d]
* hawa:
[h ɑ w ɑ]
* hoi:
[h ɔ i]

Approximant
Occurrences:
13,299
Examples:
* kuwa:
[k u w ɑ]
* iwapo:
[i w ɑ p ɔ]
* wiki:
[w i k i]
* maswa:
[m ɑ s w ɑ]
Occurrences:
3,947
Examples:
* lyon:
[l j ɔ n]
* eyasi:
[ɛ j ɑ s i]
* yani:
[j ɑ n i]
* yusuf:
[j u s u f]

Tap
Occurrences:
5,303
Examples:
* rocky:
[ɾ ɔ k i]
* rico:
[ɾ i k ɔ]
* chura:
[t ʃ u ɾ ɑ]
* pira:
[p i ɾ ɑ]

Lateral
Occurrences:
13,972
Examples:
* leta:
[l ɛ t ɑ]
* alafu:
[ɑ l ɑ f u]
* iliki:
[i l i k i]
* mlete:
[m l ɛ t ɛ]

Vowels#

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

Front

Near-Front

Central

Near-Back

Back

Close
Occurrences:
43,788
Examples:
* beila:
[b ɛ i l ɑ]
* silas:
[s i l ɑ s]
* tuki:
[t u k i]
* salim:
[s ɑ l i m]
Occurrences:
520
Examples:
* utii:
[u t i ː]
* bidii:
[b i ɗ i ː]
* miiba:
[m i ː ɓ ɑ]
* nabii:
[n ɑ ɓ i ː]
Occurrences:
21,892
Examples:
* cum:
[k u m]
* tatau:
[t ɑ t ɑ u]
* uume:
[u ː m ɛ]
* binu:
[b i n u]
Occurrences:
291
Examples:
* kuupa:
[k u ː p ɑ]
* nafuu:
[n ɑ f u ː]
* miguu:
[m i ɠ u ː]
* guu:
[ɡ u ː]

Close-Mid

Open-Mid
Occurrences:
15,798
Examples:
* gesi:
[ɡ ɛ s i]
* jeff:
[d ʒ ɛ f]
* wakae:
[w ɑ k ɑ ɛ]
* imler:
[i m l ɛ ɾ]
Occurrences:
172
Examples:
* leeds:
[l ɛ ː ɗ s]
* mizee:
[m i z ɛ ː]
* njee:
[n d ʒ ɛ ː]
* vudee:
[v u ɗ ɛ ː]
Occurrences:
12,413
Examples:
* wolff:
[w ɔ l f]
* jaluo:
[d ʒ ɑ l u ɔ]
* tupo:
[t u p ɔ]
* kuona:
[k u ɔ n ɑ]
Occurrences:
213
Examples:
* etoo:
[ɛ t ɔ ː]
* moon:
[m ɔ ː n]
* akyoo:
[ɑ k j ɔ ː]
* noor:
[n ɔ ː ɾ]

Open
Occurrences:
63,025
Examples:
* maili:
[m ɑ i l i]
* vyao:
[v j ɑ ɔ]
* kanza:
[k ɑ n z ɑ]
* style:
[s t ɑ j l]
Occurrences:
1,230
Examples:
* tamaa:
[t ɑ m ɑ ː]
* kuvaa:
[k u v ɑ ː]
* kavaa:
[k ɑ v ɑ ː]
* gaal:
[ɡ ɑ ː l]
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