Wrong Dash in Verse Export / Citation Mode

[Marshall A. Fant]

This is a new bug created in the most recent version of Accordance (14.0.7). I just downloaded and installed it this morning and this immediately started happening. 

When I insert verses from Accordance into Word or any word processor (whether using the hotkeys or copying as citation from Accordance), the dash is now the shorter hyphen and not an en-dash. Example below: 

• hyphen: -
• Shorter dash (en-dash): –

It should look like this: Romans 12:1–2 but it looks like this: Romans 12:1-2. 

In all academic writing, the preferred format is the longer dash (the en dash) rather than a hyphen between numbers. 

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

What OS? What other word processors are you using? I'll give this a test.

[darrylmy]

I'm not yet on 14 to confirm, but the latest help files on 14.0.7 state that this was an intention change:

 

Quote

Copy as Verse Reference will now use a standard dash character in all cases, to prevent encoding issues with En-Dash.

 

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

Let me look into this one further.

[Lorinda H. M. Hoover]

The change was made because the linking feature in User Tools (and perhaps in User Notes) does not recognize the en-dash as part of a legitimate verse reference. Interestingly, prior to 14.0.7, the en-dash was only used for “copy as references” from modern Bibles.  When it was done in Greek and Hebrew texts (at least the ones I tested), a hyphen was used. 
 

it sounds like, though, the better option would be if Accordance could recognize both the hyphen and the en-dash as valid. 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Lorinda H. M. Hoover

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

Good point!

[Donald Cobb]

On 8/3/2023 at 7:48 PM, Marshall A. Fant said:

In all academic writing, the preferred format is the longer dash (the en dash) rather than a hyphen between numbers. 

 

Actually, this isn't quite true. European standards often use the hyphen for a series of verses within the same chapter and the en dash when a reference is spaced over two or more chapters. I would really like to see Accordance allow for a greater personalization for biblical references. As I and others have said on several occasions, formats for Scripture references change from one country to another and from one journal to another, especially in Europe.

[EricC]

22 hours ago, Donald Cobb said:

 

As I and others have said on several occasions, formats for Scripture references change from one country to another and from one journal to another, especially in Europe.

+1

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

I'll bring it up in a future meeting to discuss this. I won't file it as a "bug report", but we'll at least discuss various options.

[Marshall A. Fant]

On 8/6/2023 at 12:30 PM, Donald Cobb said:

 

Actually, this isn't quite true. European standards often use the hyphen for a series of verses within the same chapter and the en dash when a reference is spaced over two or more chapters. I would really like to see Accordance allow for a greater personalization for biblical references. As I and others have said on several occasions, formats for Scripture references change from one country to another and from one journal to another, especially in Europe.

Fair enough. At our church we abide by the standard preferences in the SBL Handbook of Style (available on Accordance!).

 

See "2.1.3.4 Hyphens and Dashes" 

"Please distinguish between hyphens (e.g., first-century writer), en dashes (e.g., Ps 1:1–3; 1972–1983), and em dashes (e.g., “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”). All Unicode fonts offer separate characters for each. Note that there is no space on either side of the hyphen, en dash, or em dash.

Do not use any automatic hyphenation capability that your word-processing software may have; that is, turn off auto-hyphenation so that words will not be broken by “soft hyphens” at line endings." Billie Jean Collins, eds. The SBL Handbook of Style. 2d ed. (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2009), 4–5.

 

Thanks for looking into this! 

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

Glad to assist!

[Djbaker2663]

Just wanted to add my "amen" to the request for the en dash option. Just as Donald Cobb said above, some contexts require dashes and some en dashes. Having the option to export one or the other in "citations" would be really helpful.