Xanica Zapotec Speech to Text: Preserving a Tonal Language with AI

The Language and Its Speakers

Xanica Zapotec (Diidxazá) is a member of the Zapotec language family, spoken in the Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca, Mexico. With around 5,000 speakers, it is considered endangered, as younger generations increasingly shift to Spanish. The language is characterized by a complex tonal system and a rich oral tradition. Efforts to revitalize it include bilingual education programs and the creation of written materials, but the lack of accessible transcription tools has been a barrier.

Why Accurate Speech-to-Text Matters

For a language with few native speakers, every recorded word is precious. Transcribing oral histories, songs, and everyday conversations allows communities to archive their knowledge and share it with the world. Speech-to-text technology can accelerate this process dramatically. However, most commercial ASR systems ignore indigenous languages like Xanica Zapotec. Speechyou fills this gap by offering a dedicated model that understands the unique phonetics and tones of Diidxazá.

Transcription Challenges Specific to Xanica Zapotec

• Tonal distinctions: As mentioned, three tones (high, mid, low) are phonemic. The word be (high tone) means 'to go', while be (low tone) means 'to do'. Speechyou’s model uses tonal embeddings to capture these differences.
• Limited training data: Only a few hours of transcribed Xanica Zapotec exist publicly. Speechyou uses cross-lingual transfer from other Zapotec languages and allows users to contribute corrections to improve accuracy.
• Orthographic variation: There is no single official orthography. Some writers use the INALI standard, others prefer a phonetic system. Speechyou outputs text in the most common INALI-based orthography, but users can customize the output.
• Code-switching with Spanish: Many speakers mix Spanish and Zapotec in the same sentence. Speechyou handles this by maintaining two language models and selecting the appropriate output based on context.

Use Cases in the Community

• Podcasts and radio: Local stations can produce show notes and captions automatically.
• YouTube subtitles: Content creators can add SRT files to videos in Diidxazá, reaching a wider audience.
• Academic research: Linguists can transcribe fieldwork in hours instead of weeks.
• Language learning: Students can read along with audio to improve literacy.
• Accessibility: Deaf community members who read Zapotec can access spoken content.
• Oral history preservation: Elder interviews are transcribed and stored in digital archives.

How Speechyou Helps

Speechyou offers a user-friendly interface where you upload audio or video and receive a timestamped transcript in Xanica Zapotec. You can then export as SRT, VTT, or plain text. The system is designed for low-resource languages: it learns from your corrections and improves over time. With unlimited transcription included in the Solo plan, there is no per-minute cost, making it affordable for community projects.

Conclusion

Xanica Zapotec is a linguistic treasure that deserves to be heard and read. By providing accurate AI-powered transcription, Speechyou empowers speakers to document their language, create educational content, and share their stories. Whether you are a linguist, teacher, or community member, you can now transcribe Diidxazá audio with confidence.