Kingfisher

A hybrid LLM-augmented Bangla text normalization framework for text-to-speech.

Kingfisher is a three-stage hybrid Bangla text normalization framework for Text-to-Speech, combining LLM-based tokenization and semiotic class annotation, lexicon-driven context-aware verbalization, and automated error correction.

It achieves 96% overall accuracy (95% CI: 95-97%) across diverse Bangla texts, outperforming Sparrowhawk, the only previously available Bangla normalizer. Kingfisher is released together with the first public Bangla text normalization dataset.

References

2026

  1. NLPJ
    Kingfisher: A hybrid LLM-augmented Bangla text normalization for enhanced text-to-speech
    Rajan Saha Raju, Arif Ahmad, and Mohammad Shahidur Rahman
    Natural Language Processing Journal, Feb 2026