I’m an early adopter of all things tech. In the late 1990s, while browsing in a computer hardware shop, I came across a transcription application called Dragon Dictate.
The picture on the box showed a smiling young executive speaking into a headset while his words magically appeared on the computer screen. I had to buy it. I arrived home, tore open the box, set it up and began speaking to my computer.
The results ranged from dismal to absurd. Almost every word I spoke appeared on screen misspelt or was not the word I had intended.
I’m from Liverpool in the northwest of England and the speech recognition software spluttered under the weight of my regional accent.
Twenty years later the technology has definitely improved but a recent survey undertaken by researchers at Newcastle University in the UK suggests that four in five of us still have to adjust the way we speak so that speech recognition applications like Siri and Alexa can understand us.
The study in question was undertaken among native English speakers with regional accents but it would be interesting to know how speakers of other languages get on? How accommodating is Arabic Siri of diverse Arabic dialects and accents and how useful is English Siri, with bilinguals barking commands at her in foreign accents?
At present Arabic Siri is tailored to users in the UAE and Saudi Arabia but understands some modern standard Arabic terms. How Arabic speakers from other nations with different dialects get on is unknown –and even within the UAE and Saudi Arabia, accents and dialects can vary.
As speech recognition-driven applications become a more prominent part of our daily lives, one fear is that we will start to lose our regional accents altogether. Regularly adapting our speech to accommodate machines or people who don’t share our accent is undoubtedly likely to modify our pronunciation and word choice.
People who have lived in the UAE long enough might testify to moderating their pronunciation to aid the comprehension of the nation’s cosmopolitan residents. After a few years, such linguistic accommodation can start to take the edge off a regional accent. It certainly has done so with mine.
Some psycholinguists and speech scientists, however, are sceptical about whether speaking to smartphones could lead to accent loss or modification, given that we tend to spend far more time talking to each other than we do to technology.
However, that balance could very well shift in the coming decades as speech-activated artificial intelligence encroaches on more aspects of daily life, from the robo-driver to the robo-barista, robo-waiter and robo-salesperson.
Another possibility, however, is that the machine learning technology associated with speech recognition applications becomes more sophisticated and sensitive to regional variations in word pronunciation and word choice. Siri currently supports 21 languages, including Arabic, while Alexa supports three and Google Assistant can simultaneously interpret bilingual commands from its 11 languages.
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But it is estimated that the world is losing languages at the rate of about one every 12 weeks. Over the past century, approximately 400 languages have become extinct and linguists project that between 50 and 90 per cent of the world’s remaining 6,500 tongues could vanish by the end of the 21st century. Might we also start losing accents and dialects too?
Some people – my old English teacher for example – would be happy to see regional accents vanish forever. People with regional accents also sometimes pay money for elocution lessons in an attempt to rid themselves of unwanted pronunciation patterns. This unenthusiastic attitude towards language diversity is generally motivated by negative stereotypes associated with certain accents.
Classic psycholinguistic research looking at British accents, for example, tends to report a hierarchy of accent prestige. At the top of this prestige scale is what is known as RP, or received pronunciation (otherwise known as the Queen’s English). Regional accents occupy a middle ground, with the accents of industrial towns traditionally at the bottom. Under experimental conditions, people tend to judge those speaking with received pronunciation as being more intelligent and confident while those with regional accents are judged to be more sincere and more kindhearted. Of course, these are stereotypes, not based in fact.
I love diversity; if nothing else, it makes the world a more interesting place. I would hate to see diverse regional accents being obliterated by the rise of the robots. It would be a tragedy to see khaleeji Arabic's distinctive “ch" and "sh” sound replaced by the hard “k” sound of other Arabic dialects and accents and vice versa. Siri and her likes should know when fajr (dawn prayers) take place, as well as fayer (an alternative pronunciation of fajr).
Good technology adapts to us; we do not adapt to it. That would be a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.
Dr Justin Thomas is professor of psychology at Zayed University
England Test squad
Ben Stokes (captain), Joe Root, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts
Teams in the EHL
White Bears, Al Ain Theebs, Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Vipers
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
Company%20profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
THE%20SPECS
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
