Hello to all. First, I want commenting to be easier, and this is why I am posting a second blog this week. I need to test to see if I can post this way because if I can, I can allow readers to email comments that I can publish as if it were a post. If it publishes in this fashion, I will ask you to choose to comment as is possible now by going to the blog and choosing to post a comment there, or I will allow you to email me. In your email, I will ask you to provide me a subject with the word comment included in it so that the other readers realize your post is a comment for a particular blog. For example, for this blog, you write Comment on More Braille Contractions by John Smith, though you would substitute your own name in the subject line. Then, in the body of the message, you will type your comment. I will simply copy and paste this information into a new email, which I will then post to the blog via email. What I do not like about this is that comments will not be placed in the comments section of each blog, but I know some of you want to comment, and I am trying to make that possible so that we can all learn from each other. What I might end up doing is simply copying and pasting your comment into the actual comment section for the specific blog you comment on, but with school in, I do not want to promise this because it means I would need to sign in each time a new comment is sent. I could wait and post all comments at the same time, but I want others to have access to the comments as soon as possible, and this email option will make that possible. This is my second blog, but my first real blog since the other one was only for me to learn how to post and the like. So please understand I am learning as I go here.
Also, if you wish to write a tutorial for the blog or seminar-like topic for the blog, you can email it to me, and I will publish it in the same manner as above, except in this case you will leave out the comment part and just title your article and include your name in the subject line. Keep in mind that doing so will still cause the blog to say I have posted it, but you will be the known author because of your name in the subject. Remember, if you wish to write an article, it must somehow teach a skill or it must deal with blindness in an educational way. I do understand there are topics that affect the blind out there, but this blog is to teach about blindness and how to overcome its challenges, and so I am choosing to stick to educational topics. Also, I have the right not to publish your article for any reason. I am a Christian and I also prefer that the blog be readable by a wide variety of audiences, including children, and so please do not use inappropriate or fowl language in your blog, and please respect all readers. Thank you.
Now,we are going to add more Braille contractions. If you are still working on the alphabet contractions, it would be a good idea for you to wait to read this blog until you are ready to move on, but I wanted to post this blog for those who are ready to delve deeper into further Braille contractions.
If you noticed, the letters a through j are written in the upper four dots, dots 1 2 3 4, of the Braille cell. Then, for k through t, we simply add a dot 3 to a, b, c and so on through j. Starting with u, we now add dots 3 and 6 so that u is dots 1 3 6. We leave out the letter w in this pattern since Louis Braille lived in France, which had no letter w in the alphabet at the time. Z is written as the letter e with dots 3 6 added, making z dots 1 3 5 6. I say all of that to say this; our contractions will begin with the letter f, and we will add dots 3 6 through the letter j, continuing with our pattern. Please note that sometimes the word these dots represent also can be used for the letters of that word within another word. For example, the dots, 2 3 4 6, that represent the word the also represent the letters t h e, as in the word they, and so this contraction would be used in the word they. Braille rules exist to tell you when to and when not to use contractions, but we will not focus on these now. For your interest, the word they is only one syllable, and this is why this is okay. For now, just learn and practice these combinations. The newest contractions for you to learn are:
F plus dots 3 6 = 1 2 3 4 6 = and (could also be used in the word sand)
G with dots 3 6 added = 1 2 3 4 5 6 = for (the full Braille cell) (also used in the word forget)
H with dots 3 6 added = 1 2 3 5 6 = of (also used in the word off)
I with dots 3 6 added = 2 3 4 6 = the (also used in the word theme)
J with dots 3 6 added = 2 3 4 5 6 = with (also used in the word without)
Remember, we started with f here because a through e were the letters u, v, x, y and z.
Now, I shall write the next ten contractions by starting over with the letter a. This time, I am simply going to add a dot 6 to each letter. If this is all confusing you, worry about remembering the contractions and the dots that make it up only. You don't need to focus on the pattern because if you know that the ch sign is dots 1 6, you will be able to recognize it. Also, these contractions represent words if they stand alone, meaning a space is on either side of them. Some of this may represent the word when combined, for example, the full Braille cell represents the word for, and this contraction can be used in words, such as forge or forget. So, in this list, I will first put the sign, such as o u, and then the word the contraction represents. So for dots 1 6, I will first write ch since this combination represents the ch sign, such as in the word chalk. I will then write the word child, since the ch sign means child when read with spaces surrounding it. Note that not all combinations will have words associated with them. Remember, learn only a couple at a time, practice those until you have mastered them, and then move on. Here are the next ten contractions:
Dots 1 6 = Ch or child
Dots 1 2 6 = gh
Dots 1 4 6 = sh or shall
Dots 1 4 5 6 = th or the word this
Dots 1 5 6 = wh or which
Dots 1 2 4 6 = e d
Dots 1 2 4 5 6 = e r
Dots 1 2 5 6 = o u or the word out
Dots 246 = o w
Dots 2456 = w or the word will
A brief note about how to know when it is okay to use a whole-word contraction, such as for or child, in the word as opposed to having only spaces around it will now be discussed to satisfy your curiosity about the matter. If the word is one syllable, such as forge or then, then the dots representing the appropriate contraction may be used. However, if the letters making up the contraction span across the syllable divide, the contraction may not be used. Also, contractions may be used in prefixes and suffixes, such as the er being used in the word water or the ed in the word walked. The t h e sign can be used in the word pathetic because the t h e sign consists of only one syllable. That, my friends, is where I will stop now because that is the very basics. There are many other rules, but I do not want everyone to feel stressed in knowing this because you can learn Braille in an Organized manner that will teach you the rules as you learn to read and write Braille. For further study, you may choose to take the Braille proofreading course offered through the National Library for the Blind, or NLS. I believe you may contact the National Federation of the Blind, or NFB, for more information on that by going to www.nfb.org and looking up their phone number or accessing the information on their website.
And, that is the end of this Braille lesson, but more contractions will most likely follow. Also, I might discuss a little about the different ways to write Braille in a future blog. To comment on this or any other blog, please do so by following the link for such purposes located at the end of the blog, or you may email me at aadkins7@verizon.net with the words "comment for", (without the quotes), followed by the title of the blog you wish to comment on and your name in the subject line of the email message and your comment only in the body of the message. Thank you.
1 comments:
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