King Salman Academy to document 52 local Saudi dialects

Saudi Gazette

5 days ago

Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — The King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language revealed that the first phase of the "Aswat Blog" project will document 52 local dialects from various regions of Saudi Arabia, with the possibility of integrating the data into artificial intelligence applications.
The blog is still undergoing work on its tools and remains in the development and testing phase. According to the academy, the blog will preserve Saudi dialects, as the project's impact extends to the possibility of integrating data into artificial intelligence applications such as voice recognition and instant translation, facilitating communication and enhancing understanding of dialects used in daily life.
It will provide researchers with a robust audio database to study the evolution of dialects and the impact of social and economic factors on them. The blog also seeks to raise public awareness of dialect diversity and strengthen the connection of new generations to their local dialects, in addition to Standard Arabic.
According to the academy, the blog preserves Saudi dialect diversity and enables researchers to study it through a suite of analytical tools, most notably a voice detector, a sound map, and a list of common collocations. It also includes a tool for enriching the blog and verifying dialects, available for public use.
It is noteworthy that the blog includes a variety of topics, including graphic storytelling, discussion of places, foods, customs and traditions, holidays, everyday situations, and quotes.
The academy owns 13 blogs. The Falak Language Blogs platform, a technical platform comprising 13 language blogs supervised by the academy, enables linguistic researchers and data scientists to study linguistic phenomena and develop artificial intelligence applications in the field of Arabic language.
It is noteworthy that the Aswat blog was announced by the King Salman Gobal Academy for the Arabic Language in early 2024. This is in line with its strategic plans aimed at supporting the fields of linguistic computing, accelerating the pace of scientific research, enhancing data sources, employing artificial intelligence technologies in Arabic language applications, preserving its integrity, and supporting its pronunciation and writing. This also aims to enhance its global standing, raise awareness of it, and facilitate its teaching and learning within and outside the Kingdom.