The Harvard sentences are hundreds of sentences that have been used for decades to test technologies where speech understanding is important, such as telephone systems and hearing aids. I came across the list recently and was intrigued by it.
Some sample sentences: It is easy to say the depth of a well. Pigs were fed chopped corn and garbage. Help the woman get back on her feet. The harder he tried, the less he did. It caught its hind paw in a rusty trap. Write a love note to a friend you appreciate. Most of the stories are easy for us to hear.
These sentences were not chosen for their meaning but for “phonetic balance,” the method the frequency of its sounds is the same as the spoken language. They are tools, not advice or koans. But reading them I felt moved like when I read a poem. I found a site where you can listen to people read sentences in different words and I tried to see if it was possible to hear a series of lines out loud without gathering meaning. These tellers were especially good at reading without being touched, but it is impossible to listen to even a small, emotionless person saying: “A stray cat gave birth to kittens.” The little girl didn’t give a clear answer. The food was cooked before the bell rang. What a joy there is in life,” not seeing some poetry.
Is there anyone in the world who does not like to be read? Children get story time, every night if they’re lucky, but once we can read we usually do it on our own. Last year I wrote about audiobooks as bedtime stories for adults, how they can tap into that desire that probably lies dormant in all of us, the desire to treat our sleep as a project worth persuading and maintaining. Every few months I let Joseph Brodsky read his poem “A Song” to sleep. Recently my friend and I read parts of “My Song” by Walt Whitman. Reading someone is different from just talking to them. Words are not yours, so you do not own the thoughts or the meaning, only the communication. You are free to interpret, to act. It is a collaborative, intimate discovery process but, unlike a conversation, the content comes from a third person. It’s about connecting and it’s about consuming art together, whether that art is a poem or “The Polar Express” or a novel where you and your lover take turns reading chapters while you cook dinner.
There are many ways to learn now, if that’s your thing. Audiobooks, essays narrated by humans and artificial intelligence, recordings of authors appearing in bookstores, and yes, WAV files of incredibly blasphemous people mumbling Harvard Sentences into space. There is little I love more than reading to myself, or listening to a book alone when driving a long car. But you can make an effort to learn and be read by the people in your life. It’s cozy. It’s weird and fun when you get used to learning like doing it on your own. You live in your head all the time with your voice as the narrator. It’s great to listen to someone else tell stories for a change.
To find out more
CULTURE WEEK
It’s a movie
Politics
Some Big News
CULTURAL CALENDAR
🎥 “A Better Man” (out now): in britain, Robbie Williams is a national treasure. The lyrics to his songs “Angels” and “Rock DJ” are etched in almost everyone’s mind, and his boy band, Take That, was so popular that when they broke up in the 1990s, a charity set up a helpline for advice. frustrated fans. However, the press tour for this movie revealed to me that many Americans do not know who he is. Get to know Williams’ story in “The Better Man,” a biopic from the director of “The Greatest Showman,” in which Williams is portrayed as a computer-generated primate. (In the wild.)
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Chocolate Babka
Other weekends are devoted to longer, meditative cooking projects. If that’s what you’re looking for, look no further than my chocolate babka recipe. Yes, it will take you all weekend, but that’s exactly the point. After all the kneading and rising, wrapping and filling, you’ll end up with two beautiful, streusel-filled loaves – one for you, one to give to anyone in need of a sweet treat. Babka freezes well, too, which means you can save some for future satisfaction of the worst kind.
Illness or injury abroad? Learn what you need to know.
Health: Take better care of your heart this year.
ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER
Replace your shower head
Replacing an old draining shower head with a new, efficient model is one of the easiest and most satisfying things you can do in your home. Any good one could be an upgrade over the one you inherited when you moved into your property – especially if it’s more than ten years old. And it doesn’t need much cost. In Wirecutter’s quest to find the best shower head, our tests left us in awe. The affordable model caught our attention from the moment we tried it, and it was our top pick for its easy installation, sleek design and amazing flow. – Tim Heffernan
GAME OF THE WEEK
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA: Cleveland has the league’s best offense. Oklahoma City has the best defense. Both have historically good records. What happens when they collide? This week, the Cavs outlasted the Thunder, 129-122, in a game hailed as the best of the NBA season. (The Athletic’s Zach Harper called it “some of the best basketball you’ve seen in a decade.”) Lucky for fans, the rematch is just days away — this time in Oklahoma City. Thursdays at 7:30 pm Eastern on TNT
NOW IT’S TIME TO PLAY
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