BHS 4.2 read aloud

777
777 Member Posts: 403 ✭✭
edited November 20 in English Forum

This is awesome.  The robot voice will read all of the chapter numbers for you as it scrolls down the entire BHS, skipping all the text.

Is this for real or is Logos going to make a Hebrew reading robot at some juncture?

Rahlf's Septuagint is even more amazing.  I'm beginning to think the SETI@home project has succeeded in contacting something and it's trying to talk to me.

wow.

 

Comments

  • Tim Lord
    Tim Lord Member Posts: 103

    There is a Hebrew pronunciation add-in under development for Logos 3.0  A good question is whether this will be developed for Logos 4.0 as well:
    http://www.logos.com/products/prepub/details/3349

  • Rosie Perera
    Rosie Perera Member Posts: 26,202 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Tim Lord said:

    There is a Hebrew pronunciation add-in under development for Logos 3.0  A good question is whether this will be developed for Logos 4.0 as well:
    http://www.logos.com/products/prepub/details/3349

    I am willing to bet it will be developed for Logos 4.0. Logos 3.0 is not being distributed as a base platform for products anymore (though it will retain some limited support for the forseeable future). In any event, they won't be bringing out new products only for 3.0 anymore. That wouldn't make any sense.

  • Tim Lord
    Tim Lord Member Posts: 103

    Hi, Rosie.  I posted this question as a new thread for two reasons: (1) to get an official answer from Logos (i.e., if it will not be coming out on 3.0, then the pre-pub web page ought to be updated to state that in order to prevent any confusion and not discourage any Logos 4 user from placing orders), and (2) to generate some awareness about this product for new customers (a number of existing customers are still eagerly awaiting the release of this product, too).

  • Rosie Perera
    Rosie Perera Member Posts: 26,202 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Tim Lord said:

    Hi, Rosie.  I posted this question as a new thread for two reasons: (1) to get an official answer from Logos (i.e., if it will not be coming out on 3.0, then the pre-pub web page ought to be updated to state that in order to prevent any confusion and not discourage any Logos 4 user from placing orders), and (2) to generate some awareness about this product for new customers (a number of existing customers are still eagerly awaiting the release of this product, too).

    I'm eagerly awaiting it too and have put in an order. No worries about posting a new thread, I just wanted to link to my other answer rather than repeating it. There have been other resources that they haven't gotten around to updating the blurb about on the pre-pub list. One for example that I was concerned about just the other day says "CD-ROM only" and I only want to buy products if they are downloadable. I was puzzled because I didn't think they were producing any more new products that couldn't be downloaded, but MVP Joe Miller reassured me they probably just haven't updated the pre-pub pages in a long time. Good to point it out to them.

    You won't necessarily get an "official" answer from Logos on the forum, though. They've been so overwhelmed with new customers and handling their calls and emails -- that's their first priority -- that I think they've been letting the forum slide a bit, relying on the MVPs and other long-time users to answer people's questions here. Occasionally I see a Logos employee pipe in with a reply, but not very often these days. I've been in contact with one of them over other website update issues, so I can bring it to his attention.

    BTW, another thing that raises my confidence level that they will make sure this will work in 4.0 is that the corresponding Greek Pronunciation Addin, which is already available and was originally a 3.0 product, does work in 4.0 (you have to get the download version though if you want it to work in 4.0; since they've produced an updated version of it for 4.0 and the CD-ROM contains the 3.0 only product).

  • Bohuslav Wojnar
    Bohuslav Wojnar Member Posts: 3,466 ✭✭✭

    I am willing to bet it will be developed for Logos 4.0. Logos 3.0 is not being distributed as a base platform for products anymore (though it will retain some limited support for the forseeable future). In any event, they won't be bringing out new products only for 3.0 anymore. That wouldn't make any sense.

    What is Logos3 product? I can't remember... [H] The new Beta is having features we all are going to forget Logos 3 very soon. Believe me.

    P.S. I don't know about you but I am going to use my Hebrew pronunciation add-in in Logos 4. The same way I do with the Greek one [:)]

    Bohuslav

  • Alex Scott
    Alex Scott Member Posts: 718

    MikeM said:

    This is awesome.  The robot voice will read all of the chapter numbers for you as it scrolls down the entire BHS, skipping all the text.

    Tried that too did you?  I was curious to see what happened if the robot voice tried to pronounce the Hebrew, but I didn't expect the result.  Another interesting thing is to hear the pronunciation of the Hebrew names in the OT while reading an English Bible.

    Longtime Logos user (more than $30,000 in purchases) - now a second class user because I won't pay them more every month or year.

  • Bob Pritchett
    Bob Pritchett Member, Logos Employee Posts: 2,280

    The Hebrew Pronunciation project is still underway, and will work (probably only work) in Logos 4. The "what is a lemma?" question is much more complicated over multiple Hebrew morphologies than Greek, and we've had to do a lot more data work than anticipated. The structure is done, though, and we're underway.

  • Bradley Grainger (Logos)
    Bradley Grainger (Logos) Administrator, Logos Employee Posts: 11,969

    MikeM said:

    This is awesome.  The robot voice will read all of the chapter numbers for you as it scrolls down the entire BHS, skipping all the text.

    Is this for real or is Logos going to make a Hebrew reading robot at some juncture?

    Rahlf's Septuagint is even more amazing.  I'm beginning to think the SETI@home project has succeeded in contacting something and it's trying to talk to me.

    As you've noticed, the Microsoft Speech Synthesisers don't work very well with non-English text. Hebrew letters aren't recognised at all, Greek letters appear to go through a very crude transliteration before they're pronounced as though they were English, and languages other than English that use Latin characters are pronounced as though they were English (e.g., "hijos" in Spanish is read as "hi joes").

    We had a summer intern look into doing an on-the-fly transliteration of Greek text into pseudo-English that the TTS engine could pronounce "good enough", but that project wasn't finished. We should probably just disable the feature in resources we know won't produce good results.

  • 777
    777 Member Posts: 403 ✭✭

    The Hebrew Pronunciation project is still underway, and will work (probably only work) in Logos 4. The "what is a lemma?" question is much more complicated over multiple Hebrew morphologies than Greek, and we've had to do a lot more data work than anticipated. The structure is done, though, and we're underway.

    I'd order this as a pre-pub but it is listed as only working with Logos 3 on the Logos web site:

    http://www.logos.com/products/prepub/details/3349

    Perhaps it should be updated so that people using v4 will be inclined to order the pre-pub.

     

     

  • 777
    777 Member Posts: 403 ✭✭

    As you've noticed, the Microsoft Speech Synthesisers don't work very well with non-English text. Hebrew letters aren't recognised at all, Greek letters appear to go through a very crude transliteration before they're pronounced as though they were English, and languages other than English that use Latin characters are pronounced as though they were English (e.g., "hijos" in Spanish is read as "hi joes").

    We had a summer intern look into doing an on-the-fly transliteration of Greek text into pseudo-English that the TTS engine could pronounce "good enough", but that project wasn't finished. We should probably just disable the feature in resources we know won't produce good results.

    Yeah, I'd just disable it if I were in a position to be able to.

     

  • Rosie Perera
    Rosie Perera Member Posts: 26,202 ✭✭✭✭✭

    MikeM said:


    The Hebrew Pronunciation project is still underway, and will work (probably only work) in Logos 4. The "what is a lemma?" question is much more complicated over multiple Hebrew morphologies than Greek, and we've had to do a lot more data work than anticipated. The structure is done, though, and we're underway.

    I'd order this as a pre-pub but it is listed as only working with Logos 3 on the Logos web site:

    http://www.logos.com/products/prepub/details/3349

    Perhaps it should be updated so that people using v4 will be inclined to order the pre-pub.


    I've pointed that out already, and Dan Pritchett replied, "Rosie, we are working through thousands of pages right now making changes just like that. We've got a lot of hand editing to do for thousands of pages."

  • 777
    777 Member Posts: 403 ✭✭

    I've pointed that out already, and Dan Pritchett replied, "Rosie, we are working through thousands of pages right now making changes just like that. We've got a lot of hand editing to do for thousands of pages."

    Thanks for letting me know.  The Hebrew resources page looks like it hasn't been updated since Leave It To Beaver was still running new episodes.

    Ok, so I stretched that one a wee bit. [:P]

     

  • David Paul
    David Paul Member Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭

    I've mentioned on two or three...or eight or ten...different occasions that I would prefer that Logos scratch the Hebrew pronunciation project if it's going to be based on Modern Hebrew. I certainly would hope that Logos is better and above that.

    Though it may be difficult to do, I implore Logos to find someone with the integrity to focus on Biblical Hebrew pronunciation. I realize that there are differences in opinion regarding certain letters and vowel sounds, and perfect certainty is not possible, but ANYTHING that attempts to use Biblical Hebrew rather than Modern Hebrew will avoid some massive and flagrant contradictions, mistakes, and absurdities.

    I'd offer my 5c on proper pronunciation, but I doubt I'd have any takers...because I don't have the requisite letters behind my name. Of course, most of the letter mongers are the ones at the forefront of the Modern Hebrew pronunciation debacle that has been permeating Biblical studies for a few generations. The whole thing's kinda shameful.

    Biblical Hebrew...that's what Logos ought to represent and insist upon.

    Chalk me down as someone who thinks this is real important to get right.

     

    ASUS  ProArt x570s Creator, AMD R9 5950x, HyperX 64gb 3600 RAM, ASUS Strix RTX 2080 ti

    "The Unbelievable Work...believe it or not."  Little children...Biblical prophecy is not Christianity's friend.

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,405

    I would prefer that Logos scratch the Hebrew pronunciation project if it's going to be based on Modern Hebrew.

    Given the standard evolving of language, I suspect that Biblical Hebrew (if we had a time machine) would include multiple dialects. I'm certain that whatever choice Logos makes on Hebrew pronunciation, some will be happy and some won't. Logos probably knew that going in.

    because I don't have the requisite letters behind my name.

    I can name a number of cases where people without the "requisite letters" have made significant contributions in a field - often resulting in "honorary requisite letters". What it takes is a well-formed argument based on solid research and an open mind to criticism. The nice thing about Hebrew pronunciation is I haven't a clue as to what is correct.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • David Paul
    David Paul Member Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭

    MJ. Smith said:


    The nice thing about Hebrew pronunciation is I haven't a clue as to what is correct.


    I agree...certainty is not possible. But some of the absurdities that Modern Hebrew pronunciation has inflicted CAN BE avoided. On some level, whether it is Tiberian pronunciation, Yemenite pronunciation, or some sort of "Erasmian"-type of hybrid Biblical Hebrew, there are many options that would be better than the Modern Hebrew which is almost universally acknowledged to be significantly different. However, it's not just "different" that bugs me. It's the flagrant inconsistencies that would be "taught" to those just beginning to learn Hebrew.

    One of the most obvious absurdities has to do with the Name.  יהוה , called the tetragrammaton (YHWH), is most often translated and pronounced as Yahweh. Most of the people I know pronounce it that way. But though they pronounce it Yahweh, some of them will spell it YHVH. Why? Because the Hebrew letter  ו  has changed from from the Biblical pronunciation as a W (called "waw") to the Modern Hebrew pronunciation as a V (called "vav"). So, some of my friends pronounce the Name Yahweh but spell it YHVH or Yahveh. That is sadly contradictory. But does it matter?

    Oh, I don't know...IT'S ONLY THE NAME OF GOD. Why would it matter? IT'S ONLY THE LANGUAGE OF GOD. Why would it matter? Anyway, most of the Hebrew language resources that are in Logos are based on Modern Hebrew and they openly say so. Why do they bother to say so? Because they KNOW that it isn't Biblical Hebrew...and that there is a difference. But isn't LOGOS BIBLE SOFTWARE supposed to be Bible software? Yes?? Then let's have resources that are focused on teaching and explaining BIBLICAL Hebrew. It kind of logical and all...

    I know you know this, MJ. Some others here do too. But some have little of no Hebrew knowledge. I think they should be taught ACTUAL Biblical Hebrew. Not an unhistorical mutt that has been infected and infused with 2000 years worth of Diaspora languages. It really isn't that hard to do this right...it just takes having the guts to do it right. I hope it will be.

    It's important.

    ASUS  ProArt x570s Creator, AMD R9 5950x, HyperX 64gb 3600 RAM, ASUS Strix RTX 2080 ti

    "The Unbelievable Work...believe it or not."  Little children...Biblical prophecy is not Christianity's friend.

  • Tobias Lampert
    Tobias Lampert Member Posts: 761

    IT'S ONLY THE LANGUAGE OF GOD

    Sorry I have to disagree, but: Biblical Hebrew isn't the language of God (that would be a rather Koranic understanding of God using language, adapted to the Bible), at the most it's the language God originally revealed himself in unto people - though we could start (I'm not going to) a sophisticated debate over whether people within the period of Genesis and Exodus had the kind of Biblical Hebrew as their language that Genesis and Exodus are written in.

    Or maybe we should adjust your statement to the fact that we believe in a trinitarian God, leading to the insight that God originally is trilinguar: Hebrew (Father), Aramaic (Son) and Greek (Holy Spirit). [;)]

    "Mach's wie Gott - werde Mensch!" | theolobias.de

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,405

    (that would be a rather Koranic understanding of God using language, adapted to the Bible)

    Somewhat true given the Arabic grammarians' effect on Medieval Jewish interpretation. But as I noted on an earlier thread:

    From Shai Cherry, a historian of interpretation of the Torah who
    taught at Vanderbilt: (Note this is not the only source in which I have
    read this - it is merely a source close at hand because a friend and I
    are reading and discussing the book)

    "The process of interpreting the Torah is influenced by how one
    understands the nature of Hebrew. Among the legacies of the scribes is
    that the Rabbis of the post-second Temple era (1st-7th c. CE) held that
    Hebrew, unlike other languages, captured the essence of the thing
    described. In other words, Hebrew is not a language of conventions
    whereby we agree that the word book will indicate this thing you
    happen to be reading right now. For the Rabbis, "God spoke and the world
    came into being." Because the world was created by the Divine language
    of Hebrew, language participates in the very essence of reality. The
    biblical word davar means both word and thing; this
    means that the word and the thing share an essence according to such an
    understanding of Hebrew. Many scholars of Rabbinic literature have
    observed that the Rabbis were inveterate punsters in large part because
    of the aural nature of their teachings. Although true, such a
    description belittles the seriousness with which the Rabbis felt Hebrew
    informed us about the nature of reality. For them, if two words sound
    alike or share certain root letters, it may well be because there is an
    underlying commonality that links the essences of those things."

    And I am quoting a source that is actually in Logos!

    Or maybe we should adjust your statement to the fact that we believe in a trinitarian God, leading to the insight that God originally is trilinguar: Hebrew (Father), Aramaic (Son) and Greek (Holy Spirit). Wink

    LOL

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • nicky crane
    nicky crane Member Posts: 1,374 ✭✭✭

    David Paul, which modern Hebrew dialect are you unhappy about?  Ashkenazi?  Sephardi?  Or something else I don't know about? (I'm not an expert on modern Hebrew, which I never succeeded in learning to speak fluently, tho 10 months in Israel enabled me to read from the Hebrew Bible fast enough for it not to be counterproductive, especially if assisted by a parallel text Hebrew/AV Bible)

      Anyone insisting on a different, putative, "biblical Hebrew" pronunciation may have difficulty trying to read the Bible with Ivrit speakers in Israel.  And I bet the pronunciation of "Biblical Hebrew" evolved during the 1400 years or however many it was during which the Bible got written down [:P]  

    Can we maybe agree to disagree, without rubbishing the opinion of those with whom we disagree?  [;)]

  • Tobias Lampert
    Tobias Lampert Member Posts: 761

    MJ. Smith said:

    From Shai Cherry, a historian of interpretation of the Torah who
    taught at Vanderbilt: (Note this is not the only source in which I have
    read this - it is merely a source close at hand because a friend and I
    are reading and discussing the book)

    "The process of interpreting the Torah is influenced by how one
    understands the nature of Hebrew. Among the legacies of the scribes is
    that the Rabbis of the post-second Temple era (1st-7th c. CE) held that
    Hebrew, unlike other languages, captured the essence of the thing
    described. In other words, Hebrew is not a language of conventions
    whereby we agree that the word book will indicate this thing you
    happen to be reading right now. For the Rabbis, "God spoke and the world
    came into being." Because the world was created by the Divine language
    of Hebrew, language participates in the very essence of reality. The
    biblical word davar means both word and thing; this
    means that the word and the thing share an essence according to such an
    understanding of Hebrew. Many scholars of Rabbinic literature have
    observed that the Rabbis were inveterate punsters in large part because
    of the aural nature of their teachings. Although true, such a
    description belittles the seriousness with which the Rabbis felt Hebrew
    informed us about the nature of reality. For them, if two words sound
    alike or share certain root letters, it may well be because there is an
    underlying commonality that links the essences of those things."

    And I am quoting a source that is actually in Logos!

    Of course I'm aware of the Rabbinic tradition, and the link between 'word' and 'thing' is already present in Biblical Hebrew thinking. I dearly love the Hebrew language and Judaism and have been studying both on a regular basis for years now - it's just that due to several theological reasons I can't agree with the Rabbis on this particular point. I'll stick to God being at least a trilinguar God! [;)]

    "Mach's wie Gott - werde Mensch!" | theolobias.de

  • fgh
    fgh Member Posts: 8,948 ✭✭✭

     

    One of the most obvious absurdities has to do with the Name.

    That particular problem has a very easy and traditional solution: you don't pronounce it.

    יהוה , called the tetragrammaton (YHWH), is most often translated and pronounced as Yahweh.

    No, it is most often pronounced as Adonai, and most often translated as [the] Lord, [le] Seigneur, [il] Signore, Herre[n ] etc

    Or maybe we should adjust your statement to the fact that we believe in a trinitarian God, leading to the insight that God originally is trilinguar: Hebrew (Father), Aramaic (Son) and Greek (Holy Spirit).

    [:D]

    MJ. Smith said:

    From Shai Cherry (...)

    " (...) For the Rabbis, "God spoke and the world came into being." Because the world was created by the Divine language of Hebrew, language participates in the very essence of reality. The biblical word davar means both word and thing; this means that the word and the thing share an essence according to such an understanding of Hebrew. (...)"

    Thank you so much for that quote! I know we shouldn't discuss theology, but that really adds some insight about the particular Davar that became flesh! When I did NT we were taught that the Prologue was all about Hellenistic influence, but the more I learn about Judaism, the more I see it as intrinsically Jewish, and the more I suspect that all this talk about the "Hellenization" of early Christianity is really far more about Christians not knowing much about Jewish thought, than it is about Greece.

    MJ. Smith said:

    And I am quoting a source that is actually in Logos!

    I guess I'll have to put that book (or that collection) higher up on my wish list...

    Mac Pro (late 2013) OS 12.6.2

  • Tobias Lampert
    Tobias Lampert Member Posts: 761

    fgh said:

    One of the most obvious absurdities has to do with the Name.

    That particular problem has a very easy and traditional solution: you don't pronounce it.

    [:D] [Y]

    "Mach's wie Gott - werde Mensch!" | theolobias.de