The Kam4D Linguistic Knowledge Graph: Putting Smurfs, Ducks, Lemurs, and Party Terms to the Service of African Languages

SADiLaR: DH Colloquium – 17 November, 2021
South African Centre for Digital Language Resources

kamusi is Swahili for dictionary
Goal: A complete matrix of human expression across time and space
• As a knowledge resource
• As a data resource
• As a basis for any-to-any translation
3
In service since 1994 - originally at Yale Council on African Studies
International NGO since 2009
• Registered non-profit in 🇺🇸 and 🇨🇭
Academic Home since 2013:
EPFL - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
First at LSIR - Distributed Systems Information Laboratory
Now at the Swiss EdTech Collider 4
ACALAN (Intergovernmental language agency for 55 member states of the African Union):
Platform for African Language Empowerment development partner
5
6
• Lemurs and Party Terms

Lemur = • Smurfs and Ducks
• Lemma • Costumes and Wardrobes
• Lemmatic form
• Dictionary form
• Canonical form
• Citation form Party term =
• Multiword Expression
• MWE
7
• Lemurs and Party Terms

SMURF = • Smurfs and Ducks
Spelling/ Meaning • Costumes and Wardrobes
Unit Reference
DUCKS = Data
Unified Concept
Knowledge Set
8
1. The problem with linguistic

data
2. The Kam4D solution
3. Kamusi Labs projects
9

data
10
Data: Words that have been

digitized in a way that can be
used within computer processes
11
This is a word
light
12
Lemur =
• Lemma
• Lemmatic form
• Dictionary form
• Canonical form
• Citation form
light
13
light
why mul+lingual dic+onaries were impossible

14
lumineux
light
léger léger
allég
é
why multilingual dictionaries were impossible

15
give the green light
red light district come to light
light up the town
see the light running light

in light of
trip the light fantas+c

light year
light
Party term =
• Multiword
Expression
• MWE
16
sw: -enye mwanga fi: valoisa
fr: lumineux th: สว่าง
fr: léger fr: léger
sw: -epesi sw: -a kuchekesha

light
fi: kevyt fi:
tyhjänpäiväinen
th: เบา th: ซึง# ไร้ สาระ
th: ที#แคลอรี# ตํ#า

fr: allégé
fi: kaloriton
sw: pungufu
17
en: light
en: light en: light

fi: kevyt fi: tyhjänpäiväinen
en: light

fr: allégé
fi: kaloriton
sw: pungufu
18

light
fi: kevyt fi:

tyhjänpäiväinen

fr: allégé
fi: kaloriton
sw: pungufu
19

light
fi: kevyt fi:
tyhjänpäiväinen

fr: allégé
fi: kaloriton
sw: pungufu
20

data
21
1. More problems with linguistic

data!
3. Kamusi Labs projects rica e s
A f u rc
a ge s in i ta l r e so e en
n g u d i g o t b
2 0 0 0 la v e a ny d h a sn
• fe w ha i g i : ze le
V e r y e e n d e ra b
• h as b s intero p
a t
• Wh onized a
h a rm
22

data
23
light
24
light (not dark)
light (not heavy)
light (not serious) SMURF =

Spelling/ Meaning
Unit Reference
light (not fa@ening)
how Kamusi makes a mul+lingual dic+onary possible

25
light (not dark) fr: lumineux
light (not heavy) fr: léger
light (not serious) fr: léger SMURF =

Spelling/ Meaning
Unit Reference
light (not fa@ening) fr: allégé
DUCKS = Data
Unified Concept
Knowledge Set

26
light (not dark) fr: lumineux sw: -enye mwanga fi: valoisa th: สว่าง
light (not heavy)
DUCKS = Data
light (not serious) Unified Concept
Knowledge Set
how Kamusi makes a multilingual dictionary possible

27
light (not dark)
light (not heavy) fr: léger sw: -epesi fi: kevyt th: เบา
light (not serious)

DUCKS = Data
Unified Concept
light (not fattening) Knowledge Set

28
light (not dark)
light (not heavy)
light (not serious) fr: léger sw: -a kuchekesha fi: th: ซึง# ไร้ สาระ
tyhjänpäiväinen
DUCKS = Data
Unified Concept
Knowledge Set

29
light (not dark)
light (not heavy)
light (not serious)
light (not fa@ening) fr: allégé sw: pungufu fi: kaloriton th: ที#แคลอรี# ตํ#า
DUCKS = Data
Unified Concept
Knowledge Set
30
light (not dark) fr: lumineux sw: -enye mwanga fi: valoisa th: สว่าง
light (not heavy) fr: léger sw: -epesi fi: kevyt th: เบา
light (not serious) fr: léger sw: -a kuchekesha fi: hölynpöly th: ซึง# ไร้ สาระ
light (not fa@ening) fr: allégé sw: pungufu fi: kaloriton th: ที#แคลอรี# ตํ#า

31
fr: léger (without much luggage)
light (not heavy) fr: léger sw: -epesi fi: kevyt th: เบา
fr: léger (low alcohol)
fr: léger (sandy)

32
• 2,099,419 • ~138,000 Ducks

Smurfs • 44 Languages
• 122 Languages
33
• 4D = Four Dimensional
• Time is the fourth dimension - capacity to treat language
change and historical languages
• Graph database structure for a complete matrix of
human expression across time and space
• the structure is realistic; the final goal is an impossible
aspiration
• Molecular lexicography design
34
light
35
light
36
light
37
meaning
shap place
e
sound +me
rela+onships
38
meaning
shap place
e
sound +me
rela+onships
39
hit a golf ball
operate a car herd animals

DRIVE
meaning
shap place
e
sound +me
compel someone
rela+onships
40
41
meaning
meaning
42
43
• Lemurs and Party Terms Wardrobe =

• Smurfs and Ducks
A set of forms (a.k.a.
• Costumes and Wardrobes
inflections) that might
Costume = be used by a smurf
A single form (a.k.a.
inflection) that might
be used by a smurf
44
DRIVE
drives, drove, driving, driven
meaning
shap place
e
sound time
relationships
45
DRIVE
meaning
shap place
e
sound +me
rela+onships
46
hit a golf ball
operate a car DRIVE herd animals

meaning
shap place
e
sound time
compel someone
relationships
47
48
49

data
50
1. Gathering data for African

languages
2. SlowBrew assisted translation
3. PALE: Platform for African
Language Empowerment
4. Many more projects…
51

languages
52
light (not dark)
light (not heavy)
light (not serious)
light (not fattening)

53
light (not dark)
light (not heavy)
light (not serious)
how Kamusi makes a multilingual dictionary possible

54
light (not dark)
light (not heavy)
light (not serious)

55
light (not dark)
light (not heavy)
light (not serious)

56
light (not dark)
light (not heavy)
light (not serious)
light (not fattening)

57
• Duck Duck Kamus – aligning

existing datasets
• Crowdsourcing games for new
microdata
• GOLDdigger – engine for
expert editors
58

languages
59
• User selects their meaning on the source side

(predisambiguation)
• Users can suggest missing senses
60

(predisambiguation)
• SlowBrew suggests Party Terms (MWEs), or users
can mark their own
• Party Terms are treated as Smurfs in Kam4D
• Separated expressions easily conjoined (unlike NMT)
61
• User selects their meaning on the source side • Smurfs and Ducks
(predisambiguation)
• Users can suggest missing senses • Kam4D –
• SlowBrew suggests Party Terms (MWEs), or users kamu.si/kam4d
can mark their own
• Party Terms are treated as Smurfs in Kam4D • SlowBrew
• Separated expressions easily rejoined (unlike NMT)
62
63

(predisambiguation)
can mark their own
• DUCKS finds equivalent term in Language B
64

(predisambiguation)
can mark their own
• DUCKS finds equivalent term in Language B
• Machine learns from context-specific user selections

• Crowdsourced dataset of spelling/meaning
annotations
• AI builds from human intelligence on the source-side
65
Unanswered Questions:
• Will users take the time to
predisambiguate?
• People take time to choose images
• People take time to spellchick
• Syntax on the target side?
• Outside Kamusi wheelhouse – partners
needed
• How to pay for it?
66

languages
67
p l aFo rm
A L A N -AU
fo r t h e AC a : n g data
d a ta core d i s s e m in
l i n g u is:c e r i n g an d a ge s)
as t h e g a t h La n g u
l s e r ve st e m s for B o rd e r
m 4 D w il a m u s i sy a r C ro s s-
• K a w ith K e h icu l
ra te d BL s ( V
• Integ cus on 20 VC
I n i : a l fo
•
68

languages
69
• KamuSee 👓 visual dictionary

• Sign languages 🙆 gesture video dictionary
• Logikamusi ⛩ ontological dictionary
• Kamedicine 💊 medical terminology translator
• Kamigrate 👣 refugee and immigrant services translator
• Kamergency 😷🧑🚒 phrasebook for accident and disaster first responders
• Kamuseum 🏛 guides for public spaces
• Box-o-Lex 🧰 field lexicography toolkit
• Talkamusi 🗣💬📖 talking dictionary
• KamHoosi 🦉 named entities
• EdTech Trio 🎶🎓 for learning IN African languages, learning FROM African languages,
and learning OF African languages
http://kamu.si/big-picture-playbook
SADiLaR: DH Colloquium – 17 November, 2021
South African Centre for Digital Language Resources

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SADiLaR: DH Colloquium – 17 November, 2021

South African Centre for Digital Language Resources

• Lemurs and Party Terms

• Lemurs and Party Terms

1. The problem with linguistic

1. The problem with linguistic

Data: Words that have been

why mul+lingual dic+onaries were impossible

why multilingual dictionaries were impossible

see the light running light

trip the light fantas+c

sw: -enye mwanga ﬁ: valoisa

fr: lumineux th: สว่าง

fr: léger fr: léger

sw: -epesi sw: -a kuchekesha

th: ที#แคลอรี# ตํ#า

sw: -enye mwanga ﬁ: valoisa

fr: lumineux th: สว่าง

sw: -epesi sw: -a kuchekesha

en: light en: light

th: เบา th: ซึง# ไร้ สาระ

th: ที#แคลอรี# ตํ#า

sw: -enye mwanga ﬁ: valoisa

fr: lumineux th: สว่าง

fr: léger fr: léger

sw: -epesi sw: -a kuchekesha

fi: kevyt fi:

th: ที#แคลอรี# ตํ#า

sw: -enye mwanga ﬁ: valoisa

fr: lumineux th: สว่าง

fr: léger fr: léger

sw: -epesi sw: -a kuchekesha

th: ที#แคลอรี# ตํ#า

1. The problem with linguistic

1. More problems with linguistic

1. The problem with linguistic

light (not dark)

light (not heavy)

light (not serious) SMURF =

how Kamusi makes a mul+lingual dic+onary possible

light (not dark) fr: lumineux

light (not heavy) fr: léger

light (not serious) fr: léger SMURF =

how Kamusi makes a mul+lingual dic+onary possible

light (not heavy)

light (not fa@ening)

how Kamusi makes a multilingual dictionary possible

light (not dark)

light (not serious)

how Kamusi makes a mul+lingual dic+onary possible

light (not dark)

light (not heavy)

light (not fa@ening)

how Kamusi makes a mul+lingual dic+onary possible

light (not dark)

light (not heavy)

light (not serious)

how Kamusi makes a mul+lingual dic+onary possible

fr: léger (without much luggage)

fr: léger (low alcohol)