Spellcheckers for the South African languages, Part 1: The status quo and options for improvement

Abstract

In this article an annotated diachronic overview is presented of the field of spelling and grammar checkers with specific reference to the underlying computational techniques. Where appropriate, the various methods are illustrated with data drawn from the official South African languages. The performance of the current South African spellcheckers is subsequently studied, which leads to the conclusion that improvements are needed for especially the Nguni group. Various potential future options to that intent are then looked into. Most illustrations and calculations are carried out on an authentic set of parallel texts entitled “What is the African National Congress?” (ANC, [sa]).