How to configure the keyboard layout for Hebrew (biblicalSIL, phonetic, etc)

How to configure the keyboard layout for Hebrew #

How to use multiple layouts and variants on setxkbmap #

setxkbmap -layout "eu,il,il" -variant ",biblicalSIL,biblical" -option -option "lv3:ralt_switch,grp:rctrl_rshift_toggle"

To cycle the layout hold right shift + right control. All available keystrokes combination can be found here ¹. Note that the first -option is to reset any other old option in use.

The available layouts are located in /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules. You can grep for SIL for example.

Biblical SIL keyboard layout #

Since my intention is to learn to read biblical hebrew (and write it), I will settle up for biblicalSIL for the time being. It seems to be a good starting point, since it has Niqqud and a pretty logical layout.

The full documentation of the layout can be found here ²

Biblical keyboard layout #

It seems to be the standard hebrew keyboard layout. Probably it will also match the android hebrew keyboard, if so it is good to learn it. I am not sure if it does support niqqud vowel pointing.

The full documentation of the layout can be found here ³.

How to list the available layout variants #

  localectl list-x11-keymap-variants il

The output should be something similar to this:

biblical
lyx
phonetic

Other layouts that might be worthwhile to look at #

https://github.com/kyriesent/type-biblical-languages-linux-xkb

https://frame-poythress.org/keyboard-entry-of-polytonic-greek-and-biblical-hebrew-in-gnulinux-2014/

Hebrew-mode (worthwhile checking it out) #

https://github.com/ymarco/hebrew-mode

Anki-vocaulary and Youdao #

https://github.com/lujun9972/anki-vocabulary.el

How to change Doom Emacs font on the fly (not working) #

(setq doom-font (font-spec :family "Input Mono Narrow" :size 12 :weight 'semi-light)
      doom-variable-pitch-font (font-spec :family "Fira Sans") ; inherits `doom-font''s :size
      doom-unicode-font (font-spec :family "Input Mono Narrow" :size 12)
      doom-big-font (font-spec :family "Fira Mono" :size 19))

(setq doom-unicode-font (font-spec :family "Cardo" :size 12))

ַ.אאאאעעעעאאא

#<font-spec nil nil Cardo nil nil nil nil nil 12 nil nil nil nil>

How to use keyman + kimtoy #

See: https://help.keyman.com/knowledge-base/102

I could not make it to work, and it doesn’t seem to be the preferred method anyway.

Biblical Hebrew Fonts #

https://software.sil.org/ezra/

Perhaps Cardo is preferred, since it has greek also. I am not sure, more testing is needed.