We have recently changed some items in our ‘Dot Dot Dash’ exhibition on communication, so it’s worth a second visit!
Amongst the interesting items we have on show is the Welsh Bible in braille. Occupying up to 3 meters in shelf space, it’s hard to believe that one book can be translated into so many volumes!
Braille is a code based on six dots, arranged in two columns of three dots. Only 63 unique combinations can be made with the 6-dots of a braille cell, which is why specialist braille codes have been developed to represent print characters, such as computer and scientific notation and languages such as Welsh.
The first Welsh braille book was produced in the 1900s. However, the Welsh braille ‘code’ currently in use is a relatively recent innovation and was first published officially in 1996. It uses the same general rules as those stated in British braille, but the Welsh alphabet includes symbols for some common letter combinations, such as ll, dd, ff, rh. The contracted version of the Welsh braille code includes symbols for the more common Welsh words and letter groups such as ‘and’, ‘what’ and ‘to have’.
Welsh Braille Bible
This post is also available in: Welsh