NLLanguageRecognizer

New in iOS 12 and macOS 10.14, the Natural Language framework refines existing linguistic APIs and exposes new functionality to developers.

NLTagger is NSLinguisticTagger with a new attitude. NLTokenizer is a replacement for enumerateSubstrings(in:options:using:) (neé CFStringTokenizer). NLLanguageRecognizer offers an extension of the functionality previously exposted through the dominantLanguage in NSLinguisticTagger, with the ability to provide hints and get additional predictions.

→ nshipster.com/nllanguagerecognizer/

Apple’s Natural Language framework (iOS 12+) finally lets developers use the same powerful language-detection technology that powers Siri and system features.

The star for detecting language is NLLanguageRecognizer.

Basic usage is almost trivial:

let text = "Je peux manger du verre, ça ne me fait pas mal."
let recognizer = NLLanguageRecognizer()
recognizer.processString(text)
let language = recognizer.dominantLanguage?.rawValue   // "fr"

It is extremely accurate, often 95 %+ confident after only a few words, and supports dozens of languages.

You can also:

• Ask for the top guesses with confidence scores
  recognizer.languageHypotheses(withMaximum: 5)

• Give it hints if you already have a suspicion
  recognizer.languageHints = [.danish: 0.2, .norwegian: 0.8]

Practical uses:

• Feed the detected language into UITextChecker for correct spell-checking
• Pass it to AVSpeechSynthesizer so text is spoken with the right accent
• Auto-select the correct keyboard or dictionary
• Route customer-support messages to the right team

NLLanguageRecognizer is fast, works fully on-device (no network), and needs zero setup. It is one of the easiest ways to make your app feel instantly smarter and more respectful of the user’s language.

Enjoyed this post?

Well, you could share the post with others, follow me with RSS Feeds, send me a comment via email, and/or leave a donation in the Tip Jar.

Tags