Braille Formats 2011
Spelling and Grammar Using Braille
Formats
CTEBVI Workshop 101
Presented by: Amanuensis Braille
Presenter: Robert Roldan
rroldan@amanuensisbraille.com
Introduction
• How to apply the Braille Formats Principals of
Print-to-Braille Transcription, 2011.
• What to do when what you see in print isn’t
covered in the Braille Formats guidelines?
• Braille examples using the new formats
guidelines.
When Do I Use Spelling Formats
• 17.1.1 Spelling texts include a variety of teaching methods, e.g.,
emphasis of certain letters, omission of letters, scrambled letters,
deliberate misspellings, etc., to reinforce the proper spelling of a word.
This section applies only to these types of situations, in which the spelling
or the formation of the word is the most important consideration.
– Freestanding letter combinations and portions of words must be written in
uncontracted braille and the contractions for to, into, and by must not precede
them.
– When a text refers to the spelling of a word, that word must be written in
uncontracted braille.
– If the text calls attention to a specific letter or a letter combination within a
word by direct reference or by use of a special typeface or enclosure signs,
that word must be written in uncontracted braille.
– If an exercise tells you to place punctuation in the proper location of a word,
that word must be written uncontracted to avoid giving away the answer.
Spelling Word List
• Word lists, appearing typically at the beginning of
chapters or lessons that are intended to teach how
each word is spelled.
– Font attributes used for entire spelling word lists are
ignored.
– Spelling words are listed vertically in 1-3.
– The first writing of the spelling word or phrase is
contracted.
– Words and phrases with contractions are repeated in
uncontracted braille.
– Each contracted word is separated from its respelling by
one blank space. When the spelling word is a phrase, the
uncontracted respelling is preceded by two blank spaces.
Example
Spelling Word List with Partial Emphasis
• Word lists may focus on certain aspects of
spelling by use of partial emphasis.
– Use italics for all forms of emphasis.
– Each word is contracted, uncontracted, and
uncontracted with partial emphasis.
– The termination indicator (6, 3) is inserted to indicate
the end of the italics in a partially-emphasized word.
– One space separates each spelling of single
words. Two spaces separate each spelling of phrases.
– All words are listed vertically in 1-3.
Example
Omitted Word Parts or Letters
• Use the double dash to represent omitted word parts.
• Do not use contractions or letter signs for letters
attached to the double dash.
• Do not use the contraction for to, into, or by before
word parts.
• Substitute an equivalent number of unspaced dot 3s
when symbols (dots, asterisk, etc.) indicate a specific
number of missing letters.
– Add a transcriber’s note to explain the use of dot 3’s.
• Use hyphens when shown in print or the text indicates
how many letters.
Examples
Example cont.
Intentional Marked or Unmarked Errors
• When print calls attention to errors by means
of a font attribute, e.g., underline, italics,
color, highlighting, etc., the designated words
are uncontracted, and the remainder of the
passage is contracted.
• Entire passages with unmarked intentional
spelling errors are uncontracted.
Example
Example
Crossed Out Letters
• Words with crossed-out letters are uncontracted.
– Show the word as spelled, without indicating the
crossed-out letters.
– Repeat the word, and substitute a hyphen - (36) for
each letter.
– Explain the use of the hyphen in a transcriber's note.
• Words with crossed out letters within a sentence.
– Use same format but repeat the word enclosed in TN
symbols
– Explain the use of the hyphen and TN symbols in a TN.
Examples
Examples cont.
Emphasized Letters in Grammar
• Font attributes are ignored in braille when all capital letters
are emphasized in print. A transcriber's note is inserted to
explain the emphasis.
• When only isolated letters are capitalized and emphasized:
– Uncontract any words with emphasized letters; contract all
other words.
– Use italics for emphasized letters.
– End the italicized letter with the termination indicator (6, 3).
– Place a hyphen after the termination indicator when a print
hyphen follows an emphasized letter.
– A transcriber's note is inserted with basic information about
print capitalization.
– Include the termination indicator on the Special Symbols page.
Example
Punctuation Marks
• Omit punctuation marks identified in the text
followed by there print mark.
• Unidentified free standing punctuation marks
with or without signs of enclosures or commas
are preceded by a dot 4.
• TN is added to explain the use of the dot four.
• When all punctuation is emphasized in print
add a TN to explain the emphasis and omit it
from the punctuation marks.
Examples
Specific Punctuation Emphasized
• When all instances of a specific punctuation
are emphasized, omit the emphasis and
explain it in a TN.
• When isolated punctuation is emphasized,
omit the emphasis and use an embedded TN
immediately after the word to explain the
emphasis.
Examples
Examples cont.
Linear Sentence Diagramming
• Font attributes are used to distinguish parts of speech
and are terminated by the termination sign.
• Print symbols (i.e., slash or vertical bar) used to show
different parts of a sentence are brailled using the
appropriate symbols.
• Words enclosed in shapes which are used to distinguish
parts of speech are brailled using shape indicators and
are terminated by the termination indicator.
– Brailled in a 1/3 list format
– Spaced as they appear in print
Examples
Spatial Sentence Diagramming
• Spatial material is preceded and followed by a blank
line.
• Follow print for placement and direction of arrows
placed above or below sentences.
• Symbols start above or below the first letter of the
word, or the number indicator of a number.
• Keep words or phrases between which an arrow shows
a relationship are on a single braille line.
• Move part of the sentence to a new line to keep the
relationship intact.
• When they won’t fit on one line. Explain the arrow’s
relationship in a transcriber's note.
Example
Example cont.