Tamil Language Computing: the Present and the Future

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current state and future prospects of Tamil language computing, emphasizing advancements, resources, challenges, and the need for further research to improve digital communication in Tamil.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of Tamil language processing, highlighting recent technological developments and identifying gaps and future directions for research and application.

Findings

Transition from ASCII to Unicode improved digital communication.

Development of computational resources like annotated data and grammars.

Need for high-quality data and advanced models for Tamil language processing.

Abstract

This paper delves into the text processing aspects of Language Computing, which enables computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language. Focusing on tasks such as speech recognition, machine translation, sentiment analysis, text summarization, and language modelling, language computing integrates disciplines including linguistics, computer science, and cognitive psychology to create meaningful human-computer interactions. Recent advancements in deep learning have made computers more accessible and capable of independent learning and adaptation. In examining the landscape of language computing, the paper emphasises foundational work like encoding, where Tamil transitioned from ASCII to Unicode, enhancing digital communication. It discusses the development of computational resources, including raw data, dictionaries, glossaries, annotated data, and computational grammars, necessary for effective language processing. The challenges of linguistic annotation, the creation of treebanks, and the training of large language models are also covered, emphasising the need for high-quality, annotated data and advanced language models. The paper underscores the importance of building practical applications for languages like Tamil to address everyday communication needs, highlighting gaps in current technology. It calls for increased research collaboration, digitization of historical texts, and fostering digital usage to ensure the comprehensive development of Tamil language processing, ultimately enhancing global communication and access to digital services.