系统梳理非洲语言NLP研究进展，推动技术包容性发展
Charting the Landscape of African NLP: Mapping Progress and Shaping the Road Ahead
- 分析884篇近五年非洲语言NLP论文，覆盖核心任务
- 揭示多语言资源与社区倡议驱动研究快速增长
- 为非洲语言NLP的可持续发展指明方向，适合关注公平AI者
非洲拥有超过2000种语言和数百万母语使用者，是全球语言多样性最丰富的地区之一。然而，当前主流自然语言处理（NLP）系统和大语言模型（LLMs）主要支持少数高资源语言，严重忽视了非洲语言，不仅限制了技术应用范围，还可能加剧语言间的数字鸿沟。尽管如此，非洲语言NLP研究近年来活跃且迅速增长，得益于多语言资源建设、社区主导项目兴起及资助计划增加。本文调研过去五年发表的884篇非洲语言NLP研究论文，全面梳理核心任务上的最新进展，识别关键趋势，并提出未来可期的研究方向，以促进更包容、可持续的非洲语言NLP发展。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
With over 2,000 languages and potentially millions of speakers, Africa represents one of the richest linguistic regions in the world. Yet, this diversity is scarcely reflected in state-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) systems and large language models (LLMs), which predominantly support a narrow set of high-resource languages. This exclusion not only limits the reach and utility of modern NLP technologies but also risks widening the digital divide across linguistic communities. Nevertheless, NLP research on African languages is active and growing. In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in this area, driven by several factors-including the creation of multilingual language resources, the rise of community-led initiatives, and increased support through funding programs. In this survey, we analyze 884 research papers on NLP for African languages published over the past five years, offering a comprehensive overview of recent progress across core tasks. We identify key trends shaping the field and conclude by outlining promising directions to foster more inclusive and sustainable NLP research for African languages.
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