--- language_creators: - creator_1 language: - ach - aka - amh # - bam - bau - dag - dga - ewe - fat # - fuf - ful - hau - ibo - kik - kpo - lin - lug - luo - mas - mlg - nyn - orm - pcm - sid - sna - sog - swa - tir - twi - wal # - wol - yor license: - cc-by-sa-4.0 - cc-by-4.0 multilinguality: - multilingual source_datasets: - UGSpeechData - DigitalUmuganda/AfriVoice - original task_categories: - automatic-speech-recognition - text-to-speech pretty_name: Waxal NLP Datasets arxiv: 2602.02734 annotation_creators: - human-annotated - crowdsourced tags: - audio - automatic-speech-recognition - text-to-speech configs: - config_name: ach_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/ach/ach-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/ach/ach-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/ach/ach-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/ach/ach-unlabeled-* - config_name: ach_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/ach/ach-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/ach/ach-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/ach/ach-test-* - config_name: aka_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/aka/aka-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/aka/aka-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/aka/aka-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/aka/aka-unlabeled-* - config_name: amh_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/amh/amh-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/amh/amh-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/amh/amh-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/amh/amh-unlabeled-* # - config_name: bam_tts # data_files: # - split: train # path: data/TTS/bam/bam-train-* # - split: validation # path: data/TTS/bam/bam-validation-* # - split: test # path: data/TTS/bam/bam-test-* - config_name: bau_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/bau/bau-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/bau/bau-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/bau/bau-test-* - config_name: dag_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/dag/train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/dag/validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/dag/test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/dag/unlabeled-* - config_name: dga_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/dga/train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/dga/validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/dga/test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/dga/unlabeled-* - config_name: ewe_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/ewe/ewe-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/ewe/ewe-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/ewe/ewe-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/ewe/ewe-unlabeled-* - config_name: ewe_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/ewe/ewe-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/ewe/ewe-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/ewe/ewe-test-* - config_name: fat_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/fat/fat-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/fat/fat-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/fat/fat-test-* - config_name: ful_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/ful/ful-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/ful/ful-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/ful/ful-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/ful/ful-unlabeled-* # - config_name: fuf_tts # data_files: # - split: train # path: data/TTS/fuf/fuf-train-* # - split: validation # path: data/TTS/fuf/fuf-validation-* # - split: test # path: data/TTS/fuf/fuf-test-* - config_name: ful_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/ful/ful-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/ful/ful-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/ful/ful-test-* - config_name: hau_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/hau/hau-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/hau/hau-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/hau/hau-test-* - config_name: ibo_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/ibo/ibo-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/ibo/ibo-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/ibo/ibo-test-* - config_name: kik_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/kik/kik-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/kik/kik-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/kik/kik-test-* - config_name: kpo_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/kpo/train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/kpo/validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/kpo/test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/kpo/unlabeled-* - config_name: lin_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/lin/lin-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/lin/lin-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/lin/lin-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/lin/lin-unlabeled-* - config_name: lug_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/lug/lug-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/lug/lug-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/lug/lug-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/lug/lug-unlabeled-* - config_name: lug_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/lug/lug-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/lug/lug-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/lug/lug-test-* - config_name: luo_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/luo/luo-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/luo/luo-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/luo/luo-test-* - config_name: mas_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/mas/mas-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/mas/mas-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/mas/mas-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/mas/mas-unlabeled-* - config_name: mlg_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/mlg/mlg-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/mlg/mlg-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/mlg/mlg-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/mlg/mlg-unlabeled-* - config_name: nyn_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/nyn/nyn-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/nyn/nyn-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/nyn/nyn-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/nyn/nyn-unlabeled-* - config_name: nyn_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/nyn/nyn-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/nyn/nyn-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/nyn/nyn-test-* - config_name: orm_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/orm/orm-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/orm/orm-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/orm/orm-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/orm/orm-unlabeled-* - config_name: pcm_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/pcm/train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/pcm/validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/pcm/test-* - config_name: sid_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/sid/sid-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/sid/sid-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/sid/sid-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/sid/sid-unlabeled-* - config_name: sna_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/sna/sna-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/sna/sna-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/sna/sna-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/sna/sna-unlabeled-* - config_name: tir_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/tir/tir-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/tir/tir-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/tir/tir-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/tir/tir-unlabeled-* - config_name: sog_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/sog/sog-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/sog/sog-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/sog/sog-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/sog/sog-unlabeled-* - config_name: swa_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/swa/swa-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/swa/swa-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/swa/swa-test-* - config_name: twi_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/twi/twi-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/twi/twi-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/twi/twi-test-* - config_name: yor_tts data_files: - split: train path: data/TTS/yor/yor-train-* - split: validation path: data/TTS/yor/yor-validation-* - split: test path: data/TTS/yor/yor-test-* - config_name: wal_asr data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/wal/wal-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/wal/wal-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/wal/wal-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/wal/wal-unlabeled-* # - config_name: wol_tts # data_files: # - split: train # path: data/TTS/wol/wol-train-* # - split: validation # path: data/TTS/wol/wol-validation-* # - split: test # path: data/TTS/wol/wol-test-* - config_name: aka_asr_v2 data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/aka/aka-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/aka/aka-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/aka/aka-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/aka/aka-unlabeled-* - config_name: amh_asr_v2 data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/amh/amh-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/amh/amh-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/amh/amh-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/amh/amh-unlabeled-* - config_name: orm_asr_v2 data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/orm/orm-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/orm/orm-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/orm/orm-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/orm/orm-unlabeled-* - config_name: sid_asr_v2 data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/sid/sid-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/sid/sid-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/sid/sid-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/sid/sid-unlabeled-* - config_name: tir_asr_v2 data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/tir/tir-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/tir/tir-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/tir/tir-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/tir/tir-unlabeled-* - config_name: wal_asr_v2 data_files: - split: train path: data/ASR/wal/wal-train-* - split: validation path: data/ASR/wal/wal-validation-* - split: test path: data/ASR/wal/wal-test-* - split: unlabeled path: data/ASR/wal/wal-unlabeled-* dataset_info: - config_name: ach_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ach_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: aka_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: amh_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio # - config_name: bam_tts # features: # - name: id # dtype: string # - name: speaker_id # dtype: string # - name: text # dtype: string # - name: locale # dtype: string # - name: gender # dtype: string # - name: audio # dtype: audio - config_name: bau_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: dag_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: dga_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ewe_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ewe_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: fat_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ful_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: fuf_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ful_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: hau_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: ibo_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: kik_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: kpo_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: lin_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: lug_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: lug_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: luo_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: mas_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: mlg_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: nyn_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: nyn_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: orm_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: pcm_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: sid_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: sna_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: sog_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: swa_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: tir_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: twi_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: wal_asr features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio # - config_name: wol_tts # features: # - name: id # dtype: string # - name: speaker_id # dtype: string # - name: text # dtype: string # - name: locale # dtype: string # - name: gender # dtype: string # - name: audio # dtype: audio - config_name: yor_tts features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: text dtype: string - name: locale dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: aka_asr_v2 features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: amh_asr_v2 features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: orm_asr_v2 features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: sid_asr_v2 features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: tir_asr_v2 features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio - config_name: wal_asr_v2 features: - name: id dtype: string - name: speaker_id dtype: string - name: transcription dtype: string - name: language dtype: string - name: gender dtype: string - name: audio dtype: audio --- # Waxal Datasets The WAXAL dataset is a large-scale multilingual speech corpus for African languages, introduced in the paper [WAXAL: A Large-Scale Multilingual African Language Speech Corpus](https://huggingface.co/papers/2602.02734). ## Table of Contents - [Dataset Description](#dataset-description) - [ASR Dataset](#asr-dataset) - [TTS Dataset](#tts-dataset) - [How to Use](#how-to-use) - [Dataset Structure](#dataset-structure) - [ASR Data Fields](#asr-data-fields) - [TTS Data Fields](#tts-data-fields) - [Data Splits](#data-splits) - [ASR v2 splits](#asr-v2-splits-speaker-disjoint) - [Dataset Curation](#dataset-curation) - [Considerations for Using the Data](#considerations-for-using-the-data) - [Additional Information](#additional-information) - [Citation](#citation) ## Dataset Description The Waxal project provides datasets for both Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) and Text-to-Speech (TTS) for African languages. The goal of this dataset's creation and release is to facilitate research that improves the accuracy and fluency of speech and language technology for these underserved languages, and to serve as a repository for digital preservation. The Waxal datasets are collections acquired through partnerships with Makerere University, The University of Ghana, Digital Umuganda, Media Trust, Loud and Clear, and AIMS Senegal. Acquisition was funded by Google and the Gates Foundation under an agreement to make the dataset openly accessible. The Senegalese languages (Wolof and Pular) were provided by AIMS Senegal. ### ASR Dataset The Waxal ASR dataset is a collection of data in 19 African languages. It consists of approximately 1,250 hours of transcribed natural speech from a wide variety of voices. The 19 languages in this dataset represent over 100 million speakers across 40 Sub-Saharan African countries. Provider | Languages | License :------------------ | :--------------------------------------- | :------------: Makerere University | Acholi, Luganda, Masaaba, Nyankole, Soga | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` University of Ghana | Akan, Ewe, Dagbani, Dagaare, Ikposo | `CC-BY-4.0` Digital Umuganda | Fula, Lingala, Shona, Malagasy, Amharic, Oromo, Sidama, Tigrinya, Wolaytta | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` ### TTS Dataset The Waxal TTS dataset is a collection of text-to-speech data in 17 African languages. It consists of over 180 hours of high-quality, single-speaker recordings reading phonetically balanced scripts. Provider | Languages | License :------------------ | :----------------------------------- | :------------: Makerere University | Acholi, Luganda, Kiswahili, Nyankole | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` University of Ghana | Akan (Fante, Twi), Baoule, Ewe | `CC-BY-4.0` Media Trust | Fula, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` Loud and Clear | Kikuyu, Luganda, Luo, Swahili | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` AIMS Senegal | Bambara, Pular, Wolof | `CC-BY-SA-4.0` ### How to Use The `datasets` library allows you to load and pre-process your dataset in pure Python, at scale. First, ensure you have the necessary dependencies installed to handle audio data. You will need `ffmpeg` installed on your system. **Google Colab / Ubuntu** ```bash sudo apt-get install ffmpeg pip install datasets[audio] ``` **macOS** ```bash brew install ffmpeg pip install datasets[audio] ``` **Windows** Download and install from [ffmpeg.org](https://ffmpeg.org/download.html) and ensure it's in your PATH. ```bash pip install datasets[audio] ``` If you encounter `RuntimeError: Could not load libtorchcodec`, please ensure `ffmpeg` is correctly installed or check for compatibility between your `torch`, `torchaudio`, and `torchcodec` versions. **Loading ASR Data** To load ASR data for a specific language, specify the configuration name, e.g. `sna_asr` for Shona ASR data. ```python from datasets import load_dataset, Audio # Load Shona (sna) ASR dataset asr_data = load_dataset("google/WaxalNLP", "sna_asr") # Access splits train = asr_data['train'] val = asr_data['validation'] test = asr_data['test'] # Example: Accessing audio bytes and other fields example = train[0] print(f"Transcription: {example['transcription']}") print(f"Sampling Rate: {example['audio']['sampling_rate']}") # 'array' contains the decoded audio bytes as a numpy array print(f"Audio Array Shape: {example['audio']['array'].shape}") ``` **Loading TTS Data** To load TTS data for a specific language, specify the configuration name, e.g. `swa_tts` for Swahili TTS data. ```python from datasets import load_dataset # Load Swahili (swa) TTS dataset tts_data = load_dataset("google/WaxalNLP", "swa_tts") # Access splits train = tts_data['train'] ``` ## Dataset Structure ### ASR Data Fields ```python { 'id': 'sna_0', 'speaker_id': '...', 'audio': { 'array': [...], 'sample_rate': 16_000 }, 'transcription': '...', 'language': 'sna', 'gender': 'Female', } ``` * **id**: Unique identifier. * **speaker_id**: Unique identifier for the speaker. * **audio**: Audio data. * **transcription**: Transcription of the audio. * **language**: ISO 639-2 language code. * **gender**: Speaker gender ('Male', 'Female', or empty). ### TTS Data Fields ```python { 'id': 'swa_0', 'speaker_id': '...', 'audio': { 'array': [...], 'sample_rate': 16_000 }, 'text': '...', 'locale': 'swa', 'gender': 'Female', } ``` * **id**: Unique identifier. * **speaker_id**: Unique identifier for the speaker. * **audio**: Audio data. * **text**: Text script. * **locale**: ISO 639-2 language code. * **gender**: Speaker gender. ### Data Splits For the **ASR Dataset**, the data with transcriptions is split as follows: * **train**: 80% of labeled data. * **validation**: 10% of labeled data. * **test**: 10% of labeled data. The **unlabeled** split contains all samples that do not have a corresponding transcription. The **TTS Dataset** follows a similar structure, with data split into `train`, `validation`, and `test` sets. ### ASR v2 splits (speaker-disjoint) The ASR half also ships a second set of splits intended for benchmarking, under `data/ASR_v2/`. They re-partition the same utterances so that **no speaker appears in more than one split**, meaning a model is always evaluated on voices it did not train on. The audio is untouched -- v2 is a re-labelling, not a new release of the recordings. | Across all 19 ASR languages | original | v2 | |---|---|---| | Eval speakers also present in train | up to 100 % | **0 %** | | Eval utterances with an exact transcript twin in train | 1.09 % | **0.09 %** | | Split sizes by duration | 80 / 10 / 10 nominal | 84.5 / 7.7 / 7.7 | 438,230 utterances, 2,242 hours. Gender is matched across splits for the 12 languages that carry gender labels. Per-language figures are in `data/ASR_v2/metadata/split_comparison.csv`, and the full provenance -- seed, source revision, every parameter -- in `metadata/splits_manifest.json`. #### Already speaker-disjoint languages (Akan, Amharic, Oromo, Sidama, Tigrinya, Wolaytta) Six languages were **already speaker-disjoint in the original (v1) datasets** and did not require a re-split: - **Amharic (`amh`)**, **Oromo (`orm`)**, **Sidama (`sid`)**, **Tigrinya (`tir`)**, and **Wolaytta (`wal`)** (Digital Umuganda) already had 0.00% speaker leakage between `train` and `validation`/`test`. - **Akan (`aka`)** (University of Ghana) already had 0.00% speaker leakage in its `test` split. For these six languages, v2 directly points to the original dataset splits. You can load them directly via their v2 configs (`aka_asr_v2`, `amh_asr_v2`, `orm_asr_v2`, `sid_asr_v2`, `tir_asr_v2`, `wal_asr_v2`) or their original configs without the split map re-labelling procedure: ```python from datasets import load_dataset # Direct loading for already speaker-disjoint languages (e.g. Amharic) ds_test = load_dataset("google/WaxalNLP", "amh_asr_v2", split="test") # Or equivalently using the original config: # ds_test = load_dataset("google/WaxalNLP", "amh_asr", split="test") ``` #### Reading v2 (for re-partitioned languages) Read the existing ASR configs and re-label each row from the split map: ```python import pandas as pd from datasets import load_dataset LANG, WANT = "sna", "test" m = pd.read_csv( f"hf://datasets/google/WaxalNLP/data/ASR_v2/metadata/split_map/{LANG}.csv", dtype=str, ) v2 = dict(zip(m["id"], m["v2_split"])) # `id` is unique within a language for v1_split in ("train", "validation", "test"): # all three for row in load_dataset("google/WaxalNLP", f"{LANG}_asr", split=v1_split, streaming=True): if v2.get(row["id"]) == WANT: ... ``` Three things worth knowing: - **Read all three original labelled splits.** Utterances move between them: Acholi's v2 test set draws 397 of its 515 rows from the original *train*. Reading only the same-named split returns a fraction of the data, silently. - **Skip `unlabeled`.** It carries no transcripts and takes no part in the re-split. - **Two utterances are unmapped** -- `kpo_149159` has no `speaker_id` and `lin_9193` has an empty transcript. They are listed in `metadata/excluded_rows.csv`; `v2.get()` returns `None` for them. Streaming bounds memory rather than download: filtering still transfers the language's labelled half, 1.6 GB (`ach`) to 12.7 GB (`sid`). ## Dataset Curation The data was gathered by multiple partners: Provider | Dataset | License :------------------ | :------------------------------------------------------- | :------ University of Ghana | [UGSpeechData](https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.22298) | `CC BY 4.0` Digital Umuganda | [AfriVoice](DigitalUmuganda/AfriVoice) | `CC-BY-SA 4.0` Makerere University | [Yogera Dataset](https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/BEROE0) | `CC-BY-SA 4.0` Media Trust | | `CC-BY-SA 4.0` Loud and Clear | | `CC-BY-SA 4.0` AIMS Senegal | | `CC-BY-SA 4.0` ## Considerations for Using the Data Please check the license for the specific languages you are using, as they may differ between providers. **Affiliation:** Google Research ## Version and Maintenance - **Current Version:** 2.0.0 - **Last Updated:** 03/2026 ## Citation ```bibtex @article{waxal2026, title={WAXAL: A Large-Scale Multilingual African Language Speech Corpus}, author={Anonymous}, journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.02734}, year={2026} } ```