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Release Date: 3/12/2026
Format: WAV, TSV
Size: 7.68 GB
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This dataset, curated by Digital Divide Data (DDD), provides high-quality audio recordings and corresponding text transcriptions for the Somali (som) language. The collection includes thousands of unique utterances per language to support diverse acoustic modeling. All transcriptions have undergone a manual verification process to ensure high linguistic accuracy. Recordings feature a balanced mix of genders and various age groups to minimize bias in downstream AI models. This data is specifically designed for training Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems, Text-to-Speech (TTS) synthesis, and general linguistic research for underrepresented African languages.
Licensing
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0)
https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.htmlRestrictions/Special Constraints
For research and scientific use only Redistribution or re-hosting of this dataset is not permitted without written permission from Digital Divide Data
Forbidden Usage
You agree not to attempt to determine the identity of any speaker in the dataset. It is forbidden to use this dataset for voice cloning, biometric identification, surveillance, or the creation of synthetic voices mimicking speakers.
Ethical Review
All participants gave informed consent prior to recording. Speakers were briefed about the use of their audio for research and could withdraw at any time. No personal names or identifying information are included in the dataset.
Intended Use
This dataset is intended for developing and evaluating Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems for under-resourced African languages, studying cross-dialect variation, training self-supervised audio models, and supporting linguistic research on Somali dialects.
TECHNICAL DATASHEET SOMALI 68-HOUR SPEECH DATASET DIGITAL DIVIDE DATA (KENYA)
CONSIDERATIONS
1.1 Forbidden usage Do not attempt to identify or re-identify any speaker. Do not link voices to real people or external datasets. Do not use the dataset for surveillance or biometric identification. Do not re-host, re-share, or redistribute the dataset without written permission.
1.2 Privacy and ethics All speakers are represented only by pseudonymous IDs. Demographic metadata is intended for aggregate analysis only. Individual-level inference is strictly discouraged.
WHAT (DATASET OVERVIEW)
2.1 Dataset summary A curated collection of read speech recordings from native Somali speakers. Collected in Kenya through controlled voice collection sessions. Designed for low-resource language technology development.
2.2 Primary intended task Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) training and evaluation.
2.3 Secondary possible uses Dialect-aware ASR experiments Dialect classification (where labels are reliable) Low-resource transfer learning Educational and linguistic research (aggregate-level only)
LANGUAGE
3.1 Language name Somali
3.2 Variants/dialects covered maxaatirii
3.3 Geographic distribution Northeastern, Kenya
WHO (DATA CREATION)
Native Somali speakers were recruited locally in Kenya. Sentence prompts prepared by linguistically competent contributors. Manual transcription and verification by trained contributors.
WHERE Controlled collection sessions in Kenya.
WHEN March 2026.
SOURCES Generated specifically for this project. Read speech audio paired with verified transcripts. WAV audio format.
DOMAINS General / Culture
SIZE Approximately 70 hours of transcribed speech.
STRUCTURE Index_file_70h.xlsx vc01/, vc02/, vc03/, vc04/ folders Speaker-level subfolders with WAV files.
WRITING SYSTEM Latin alphabet Five vowels: a, e, i, o, u Phonemic spelling, no tone marking.
INTENDED USE ASR training and evaluation Research and educational use only.
CITATION Digital Divide Data (2026). Somali 68-Hour Speech Dataset (Kenya).
