Evaluating Tokenizer Performance of Large Language Models Across Official Indian Languages

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Tamang, S., Bora, D. J.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Tamang, S.
Bora, D. J.
author_facet Tamang, S.
Bora, D. J.
contents Large Language Models (LLMs) based on transformer architectures have revolutionized a variety of domains, with tokenization playing a pivotal role in their pre-processing and fine-tuning stages. In multilingual models, particularly those tailored for Indic languages, effective tokenization is crucial for optimizing performance. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of tokenizers used by 12 LLMs across all 22 official languages of India, with a focus on comparing the efficiency of their tokenization processes. We employed the Normalized Sequence Length (NSL) as a key metric in our analysis. Our findings reveal that the SUTRA tokenizer outperforms all other models, including several Indic-specific models, excelling in 14 languages. Notable insights include the SUTRA tokenizer's superior handling of Indic languages, GPT-4o's advancement over its predecessor GPT-4 in processing Indian languages, and the limited performance of Project Indus in certain languages. This study underscores the critical importance of developing targeted tokenization strategies for multilingual and Indic-centric models, laying the groundwork for future improvements in tokenizer design to enhance linguistic coverage and model efficiency.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_12240
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Evaluating Tokenizer Performance of Large Language Models Across Official Indian Languages
Tamang, S.
Bora, D. J.
Computation and Language
Artificial Intelligence
Large Language Models (LLMs) based on transformer architectures have revolutionized a variety of domains, with tokenization playing a pivotal role in their pre-processing and fine-tuning stages. In multilingual models, particularly those tailored for Indic languages, effective tokenization is crucial for optimizing performance. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of tokenizers used by 12 LLMs across all 22 official languages of India, with a focus on comparing the efficiency of their tokenization processes. We employed the Normalized Sequence Length (NSL) as a key metric in our analysis. Our findings reveal that the SUTRA tokenizer outperforms all other models, including several Indic-specific models, excelling in 14 languages. Notable insights include the SUTRA tokenizer's superior handling of Indic languages, GPT-4o's advancement over its predecessor GPT-4 in processing Indian languages, and the limited performance of Project Indus in certain languages. This study underscores the critical importance of developing targeted tokenization strategies for multilingual and Indic-centric models, laying the groundwork for future improvements in tokenizer design to enhance linguistic coverage and model efficiency.
title Evaluating Tokenizer Performance of Large Language Models Across Official Indian Languages
topic Computation and Language
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.12240