- Home
- YorubaName.com
- Tone Keyboard
-
FAQ
What is TTS?
This is an abbreviation for Text-to-Speech, a program designed to convert text input (words, phrases, sentences) into audio. It is an application that can pronounce Yorùbá words, phrases, sentences, from text input.
Yorùbá is a language spoken by over 30 million people in Nigeria alone and by millions more in Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica, and the United States. It is also a language with an extensive and enduring literary and religious value, but with inadequate representation in technology (like most African languages). By creating tools like the TTS machine (and many more like the YorubaName dictionary, free downloadable keyboards, etc, we are trying to better empower African languages to serve interested users in the technological age.
It can be used as either a text reader or tone/spelling verifier or as a tone marking teacher.
As a text reader, you can paste a body of text in the space provided and have the machine read it to you. This will work for people who have problems reading Yorùbá texts but can comprehend it if spoken to them.
As tone/spelling verifier, you can use TTSYorùbá to verify that the tonemarking you have placed on a piece of text is correct by having the machine pronounce it for you first. This also works for people who have had clients deliver translated Yorùbá texts to them. By copying and pasting random segments of the delivered work into this machine, you can hear the output and know whether the work is well done or not.
As a tone marking teacher, you will be able to use the application to actually understand how different tones are pronounced. By the time you try out different tonal combinations on different words, you will eventually figure out how tonemarking works in Yorùbá. So, in some way, this can actually teach you how to learn to write properly in Yorùbá.
You can also use it to send audio missives online. For instance, each generated sound can be shared on Twitter or Facebook, or even copied and sent through messenger or other means. That way, texting becomes not the only way to communicate. You can now send sounds, which can be intimate or mischievous, as you want it. Up to you how you decide to use it.
This is an experiment in finding out whether speech synthesis is possible in an African language. We wrote about the thought process behind this decision here. Yorùbá is the natural first choice because the TTS machine was created to support a Yorùbá Names Dictionary at YorubaName.com. We are open to trying out for more languages provided we get support. If you are a linguist or developer interested in collaborating with us on this, do send us an email.
Check your tone marking. The tool was built with the understanding of Yorùbá phonology. So what you put in is what you get out.
Well, you’re in luck. You don’t need a physical keyboard anymore. We created a free tonemarking software which you can download here.
Yes. We have a short help video to introduce you to the rules behind Yorùbá tonemarking. Watch it below:
But more importantly, feel free to make mistakes. Over time, and after many trials, you will eventually figure out which tone mark gives which sounds.
Lol, you’re right, and we empathize. We will say you should rethink your stance. We will however like to make you happy by letting you know that we are currently working towards a more intuitive app that can understand your text input from context and tonemark for you appropriately. But before then, do give this a try. You might actually find it very easy to learn.
Send us an email at project@yorubaname.com with “TTS inquiry” in the subject line. If your product is open source and not commercial, you might be able to use our work for free.
Yes, as we said above. Even this work, as it is, isn’t complete. We are working on further iterations to make the output more natural sounding. Under the banner of Orature Lab, a research and advocacy initiative for African languages, we are working to create new opportunities for African languages to thrive by empowering them with tech and documentation initiatives.
You can donate to our project using the button below. The project is supported by personal time/effort so we are always looking for funding to improve the work, and to conduct more research into Automatic Speech Recognition which can convert this project into bigger uses in artificial intelligence. You can also volunteer your skills on the project or direct us to funding agencies you might know.
The following people made it happen. First, the donors who gave money when we last did a crowdfunding drive for this project on Indiegogo. Second, the following people volunteered skills that brought the application to life: Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún for the Yorùbá phonological rules, Adédayọ̀ Olúòkun for the Python code behind the app, Dadépọ̀ Adérẹ̀mí for the unicode normalization help, Taqwa Ghazal for the initial design wireframes, and Hafiz Adéwuyì for the web design.
Yes, but this standard disclaimer applies: You are responsible for any use to which you put this TTS voice. YorubaName.com or any of its volunteers and administrators isn’t responsible for whatever you do with the generated voice.
In the new year 2018, we intend to launch the IgboName.com project fully, which is like YorubaName but, of course, for Igbo. We intend to launch for as many other Nigerian (or African) language as we have the resources to create. So, do reach out to us if you have ideas. Also, in furtherance of our drive to use crowdsourcing to document valuable cultural resources, we will also be launching YorubaWord.com which hopes to be the first multimedia Yorùbá (Monolingual and Bilingual) Lexical Dictionary anywhere. You won’t need to tag your facebook friend when next you want to know the meaning of a word. We intend to create these kinds of dictionaries in as many languages as possible. We’re open to collaborations. To keep track of all our work, projects, and community efforts for African language technology, follow the following twitter handles: @Yorubanames @YorubaWord @IgboNames @OratureLab
-
Contact Us
Contact Information
We're easy to get through to, whether in person or by mail.
You may send an email to project@yorubaname.com
Or visit our office at YorubaName.com
2nd Floor, The Garnet Building
Lekki - Epe Express Road, Lekki
Lagos 101245
NigeriaFollow us on Social Media
