Vietnamese Braille

Vietnamese Braille is the braille alphabet used for the Vietnamese language. It is largely based on the system of French Braille, with significant extensions for the Vietnamese alphabet's extensive use of diacritics and tones. The system is standardized and taught in schools for the blind across Vietnam, such as those operated by the Nguyen Dinh Chieu School and the Vietnam Blind Association.

Overview

The development of this tactile writing system is closely tied to the history of French colonization in Indochina. Missionaries and educators, including figures like Alexandre de Rhodes, who earlier developed the quốc ngữ script, influenced the adaptation of Louis Braille's invention. Key institutions in its propagation include the School for the Blind in Saigon and the work of the Catholic Church in Vietnam. Today, it is the primary medium for literacy for the visually impaired in the country, supported by organizations like the World Blind Union.

Alphabet and punctuation

The basic braille alphabet corresponds directly to the quốc ngữ letters. Consonants such as B, C, D, Đ, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, and X have standard assignments. Vowels including A, Ă, Â, E, Ê, I, O, Ô, Ơ, U, Ư, and Y are also represented. Punctuation marks like the full stop, comma, question mark, and exclamation mark generally follow French Braille conventions. The system also incorporates specific signs for Vietnamese currency symbols and common Latin script punctuation.

Tones and diacritics

A defining feature is its comprehensive encoding of tonal and diacritic marks. The six tones—ngang, huyền, sắc, hỏi, ngã, and nặng—are each represented by a unique braille cell preceding the affected syllable. Diacritics for vowel sounds, such as the horn on Ơ and Ư, the breve on Ă, and the circumflex on Â, Ê, and Ô, are also individually coded. This system allows for the precise representation of words distinguished by tone, like ma, mà, má, mả, mã, and mạ.

Formatting and numbers

Numerals follow the international braille patterns used in French Braille, employing the same prefix indicator. Formatting conventions, such as those for capitalization and italicization, are similarly derived. Specialized codes exist for common literary formats and technical documents. The system facilitates access to materials ranging from textbooks published by the Ministry of Education and Training (Vietnam) to Braille music notations and mathematical texts.

Comparison with other Braille systems

While sharing a common root with French Braille, it is distinct from other regional systems like Chinese Braille, Japanese Braille, and Korean Braille. Its treatment of tones is more analogous to the approach in Thai Braille or Lao Braille, though the specific cell assignments differ. Compared to the Unified English Braille code, it is a more strictly alphabetic system. The adaptations for the Vietnamese language make it unique among the braille alphabets used in Southeast Asia.

Category:Vietnamese language Category:Braille alphabets