Description
LibLouis includes three different tables for Classical/Biblical Hebrew, each of which is best suited to a particular reading context. All three tables derive from the original International Hebrew Braille Code (IHBC) and do not contradict one another. The differences lie in the characters that are included or omitted in the translation and the placement of some punctuation.
The three systems are as follows:
- Cantillated: This table includes all consonants, vowel points (niqqudot), and accents (ta’amim). It is well-suited for those who wish to chant the text (cantors and benei mitzvah), but can be cumbersome for everyday reading.
- IHBC: this table represents the original scope of the 1946 International Hebrew Braille Code. It includes consonants and vowels but only the accents dagesh, maqqef, mappiq, sof pasuq, etnahta, zaqef qaton, and paseq. It is best suited to grammatical and philological study.
- Slim: This code is designed to be compact and to enable the text to be read aloud fluently. In addition to excluding most cantillation marks, it also excludes dageshes and shewas.
Tables
Use the following tables for each screen reader:
JAWS: Not yet supported.
NVDA
- Cantillated: Hebrew (Biblical), Full Cantillation
- IHBC: Hebrew (Biblical), IHBC
- Slim: Hebrew (Biblical), Slim
VoiceOver (MacOS & iOS): Not yet supported (the current Hebrew, Biblical Variant table provides access to the cantillated system, although it still includes some errors).
LibLouis
- hbo.utb: Classical Hebrew, International Hebrew Braille Code
- hbo-cantillated.utb: Classical Hebrew with Full Cantillation
- hbo-slim.utb: Classical Hebrew with no shewa or dagesh
The fully Cantillated system is also available through the Biblical Original Language Studies module in the Duxbury Braille Translator.
Code
Consonants
⠁ א Aleph (dot 1)
⠃ בּ Bet with dagesh (dots 12)
⠧ ב Bet without dagesh (dots 1236)
⠛ ג Gimel (dots 1245)
⠙ ד Dalet (dots 145)
⠓ ה He (dots 125)
⠺ ו Waw (dots 2456)
⠵ ז Zayin (dots 1356)
⠭ ח Het (dots 1346)
⠞ ט Tet (dots 2345)
⠚ י Yod (dots 245)
⠅ כּ Kaf with dagesh (dots 13)
⠡ כ Kaf without dagesh (dots 16)
⠇ ל Lamed (dots 123)
⠍ מ Mem (dots 134)
⠝ נ Nun (dots 1345)
⠎ ס Samek (dots 234)
⠫ ע Ayin (dots 1246)
⠏ פּ Pe with dagesh (dots 1234)
⠋ פ Pe without dagesh (dots 124)
⠮ צ Tsadi (dots 2346)
⠟ ק Qof (dots 12345)
⠗ ר Resh (dots 1235)
⠱ שׂ Sin (dots 156)
⠩ שׁ Shin (dots 146; also for ש without dot)
⠳ תּ Tav with dagesh (dots 1256)
⠹ ת Tav without dagesh (dots 1456)
Final forms of the consonants kaf, mem, nun, pe, and tsade have the same braille as their non-final counterparts.
Vowels
Vowel points with consonant mem to show placement.
⠄ מְ Shewa (dot 3)
⠊ מִ Hiriq (dots 24)
⠌ מֵ Tsere (dots 34)
⠑ מֶ Segol (dots 15)
⠢ מֱ Hatef segol (dots 26)
⠉ מַ Patach (dots 14)
⠒ מֲ Hatef patach (dots 25)
⠣ מָ Qametz (dots 126)
⠜ מֳ Hatef Qametz (dots 345)
⠕ מֹ Holam (dots 135)
⠥ מֻ Qubutz (dots 136)
Extra-long Vowel Contractions
When waw and yod serve as vowel letters (matres lectionis) : rather than consonants, they are contracted with the vowel point to a single braille cell.
⠔ מִיHiriq-yod (dots 35)
⠼ מֵי Tsere-yod (dots 3456)
⠪ וֹ Holam-waw (dots 246) )
⠬ וּ Shuruq (dots 346))
Aleph and he do not contract when used as vowel letters.
Cantillation Marks
IHBC Cantillation Marks
The following cantillation marks were included in the 1946 IHBC, and are included in the hbo.utb table. Consonant provided to show vowel placement in print.
⠐ מּ Dagesh (dot 5)
⠘ הּ Mappiq (dots 45)
⠤ ־ Maqqef (dots 36)
⠸ ׀ Paseq (dots 456)
Note that, in the IHBC table, the following three disjunctive accents are placed at the end of the word in which they appear. In the Cantillated table, every accent appears on the syllable to which it is attached in print.
⠂ מ֔ Zaqef qatan (dot 2)
⠆ מ֑ Etnahta (dots 23)
⠲ ׃ Sof pasuq (dots 256)
IHBC-McAllister Cantillation Marks
These cantillation marks are included in the Cantillated table:
⠈ מֽ Metheg (dot 4)
⠘ כֿ Rafe (dots 45)
⠨⠎ מ֒ Segol (dots 46-234)
⠨⠩ מ֓ Shalshelet (dots 46-146)
⠨⠛ מ֕ Zaqef gadol (dots 46-1245)
⠨⠞ מ֖ Tipeha (dots 46-2345)
⠨⠗ מ֗ Revia (dots 46-1235)
⠨⠙ מ֘ Zarqa (dots 46-145)
⠨⠏ מ֙ Pashta (dots 46-1234)
⠨⠚ מ֚ Yetiv (dots 46-245)
⠨⠧ מ֛ Tevir (dots 46-1236)
⠨⠁ מ֜ Geresh (dots 46-1)
⠨⠡ מ֝ Geresh muqdam (dots 46-16)
⠨⠃ מ֞ Gershayim (dots 46-12)
⠨⠝ מ֟ Qarney Para (dots 46-1345)
⠨⠶ מ֠ Telisha Gedola (dots 46-2356)
⠨⠦ מ֡ Pazer (dots 46-236)
⠨⠆ מ֢ Atnah Hafukh (dots 46-23)
⠨⠥ מ֣ Munah (dots 46-136)
⠨⠓ מ֤ Mahapakh (dots 46-125)
⠨⠍ מ֥ Merkha (dots 46-134)
⠨⠅ מ֦ Merkha kefulah (dots 46-13)
⠨⠙ מ֧ Darga (dots 46-145)
⠨⠏ מ֨ Qadma (dots 46-1234)
⠨⠟ מ֩ Telisha qetanah (dots 46-12345)
⠨⠽ מ֪ Yerah ben Yomo (dots 46-13456)
⠨⠕ מ֫ Ole (dots 46-135)
⠨⠊ מ֬ Iluy (dots 46-24)
⠨⠊ מ֭ Dehi (dots 46-24)
⠨⠵ מ֮ Zinor (dots 46-1356)
Sources
The original IHBC was published in 1946 and documentation appeared in in the 1950 edition of the Braille Tanakh:
Dubov, Leopold. “Preface.” In The Holy Bible: The Complete Hebrew Text Embossed in Twenty Volumes, Volume One: Genesis. New York: Jewish Braille Institute, 1950. Available from JBI Library.
The IHBC is also documented on the Hebrew Braille Wikipedia page.
The slim standard was published in 1961 in the so-called Katz Manual,
Katz, Eliezer. Hebrew Braille: A Manual for Hebrew Braille and Basic Hebrew (with Attention to Transcribers). New York: JBI International, 1961. Available from JBI Library under the title “Katz Hebrew Braille manual.”
The system for the remainder of the cantillation marks was devised by Dr. Ray McAllister, Sarah Blake LaRose, and Matthew Yeater. It was first implemented in the Duxbury Translation Software and is also documented as part of their Biblical Original Languages module. This effort earned McAllister, LaRose, and Yeater the 2016 Jacob Bolotin award from the National Federation of the Blind. More information can be found here.