Grade 2 – Braille Contracted

Grade 2 Braille Contracted

Grade 2 Braille is the contracted or abbreviated form of Unified English Braille. In the Grade 2 Braille system, there are about 250 contractions, abbreviations and word signs to replace common letter combinations. Using contractions makes Braille reading and writing easier, saves pages and increases speedy execution. While using Grade 2 Braille, certain rules are to be adopted for appropriation and to reduce the size of texts. 

Let us discuss the aspects related to Grade 2 Braille with some illustrations.

1. A single letter represents a whole word. For example, in Grade 2 Braille, a single letter ‘b’ represents ‘but’, and a single letter ’k’ represents ‘knowledge’.

Note in the example given below, Braille format for single letter ‘b’ and the corresponding word.

2. The contracted word involves letter combinations for a word.
For example, a two-letter combination ‘ch’ represents ‘child’. 
Note the Braille configuration given below:

3. Another form involves condensing longer words into shorter abbreviations. For example, the word ‘about’ is shortened to ‘ab’. Similarly, the word ‘good’ is represented by the letter combination ‘gd’.

Note the Braille configuration given below:

4. There are shorthand representations for common words like ‘and’. This word has three letters: a/n/d. However, a single Braille cell represents the whole word ‘and’. Using a single Braille cell for strong words enables faster reading and abbreviated text.
Note the Braille transcription for the word ‘and’ given below.

Here a single Braille cell having dots 1-2-3-4-6 represents the word ‘and’.

5. Another example for Grade 2 Braille is using dots 4-5 with the initial letter. Using dots 4-5 indicates that the word is a “contraction” that precedes the initial letter. 
For example, the word ‘upon’ is transcribed in Braille as dots 4-5 followed by the Braille letter ‘u’.

6. Dot 5 with initial letter contractions uses two Braille cells. The first cell is dot 5 and the second cell is the initial letter. These combinations can be used for whole words or parts of words. 

For example: 
The Braille configuration for the word ‘day’ is given below.

For the word ‘ever’, the configuration is given below. 

7. There are certain word signs. 
Example:
‘c’ for can.
‘m’ for more.
These word signs combine with dots 4-5-6 to form another word. For example:
When the dots 4-5-6  precede the letter ‘c’, the Braille ‘word is ‘cannot’. 
Note the Braille configuration given below.

In these lessons, we learnt the usage of Grade 2 Braille. We will learn many more applications of Grade 2 Braille in detail in the subsequent lessons. 

Interactive Assessment

Grade 2 Braille contracted

Video – Grade 2 Braille Contracted

Worksheet – Grade 2 Braille Contracted

Resource Document – Grade 2 Braille contracted