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Braille Special Symbols 5 – Accent Marks

Opening

Hadley presents Braille Special Symbols, Workshop 5: Accent Marks.

Page 1

First, make sure you have your braille workbook with you. If you don’t already have one, call Hadley at 847-784-2816, and we’ll mail one right out to you.

Now let's learn another set of special symbols: the accent marks. These symbols are found in many foreign-language words used in English.

Feel the braille in the top left corner of the page.

These are the acute accent, the grave accent, and the tilde.

Above the middle line are 3 rows of braille.

The first row is the acute accent. In print, the acute accent appears above a letter as a small diagonal line starting at the bottom left and moving up to the right.

The middle row is the grave accent. In print, the grave accent appears above a letter as a small diagonal line starting at the top left and moving down to the right.

The last row is the tilde. In print, the tilde looks like a wavy line above the letter.

In braille, an accent mark comes directly before the letter with the accent.

Let’s look at a few examples.

Below the middle line are 3 more rows of braille. Let's read them together.

The first row says: José. Capital J, o, s, acute accent, e.

The second word is: learnèd, l, e, a, r, n, grave accent, e, d.

Notice the accent mark comes before the last e in, “learnèd.”

The e-d contraction is not used here, because only the e is accented.

Accent marks are not used with contractions.

Finally, let’s read the third row.

It says: mañana, m, a, tilde, n, a, n, a

Turn the page.

Page 2

Feel the acute accent in the top left corner of the page. The acute accent is dots 4, 5 in the first cell, and dots 3, 4 in the second cell.

Above the middle line are 3 rows of braille.

As you read the braille and work through the activities on these pages, use the Pause button, or spacebar, for as long as you need to complete an activity item. Then select the Play button, or press the spacebar again, to hear the feedback for that item.

Read all 3 rows and find which row shows the acute accent.

If you chose the second row, you got it!

Below the middle line are 4 more rows of braille.

What does the first row say?

If you read: María . . . you got it.

Capital M, a-r contraction, acute accent, i, a.

Next, read the second row.

This is the name: Ángel. Capital letter indicator, acute accent, a, n, g, e, l.

Notice the capital letter indicator comes first, and then the acute accent, which is right before the accented letter a. When a letter with an accent mark is capitalized, the accent comes closest to the letter, after the capitalization indicator.

Now, how about the third row?

This row says: Sofía. Capital S, o-f contraction, acute accent, i, a.

Finally, read the last row.

This one says: fiancé. f, i, a, n, c, acute accent, e.

Notice in the word Sofía, the o-f contraction is used.

In the word fiancé, however, the a-n-c-e contraction is not used, because the accent mark must appear before the letter e.

Move to the next page.

Page 3

Feel the grave accent in the top left corner of the page. The grave accent is dots 4, 5 in the first cell and dots 1, 6 in the second cell.

Above the middle line are 3 rows of braille.

Read all 3 rows and find which row contains the grave accent.

If you said the third row, you’re right!

Below the middle line you’ll find 2 rows of braille.

In each row, find the words with the grave accent.

Which word has the grave accent in the first row?

If you said: Voilà! . . . you got it!

What about the last row?

In this row, it’s the name, Agnès. The name, Aimée, has the acute accent.

Turn the page.

Page 4

Feel the braille in the top left corner of the page.

This is the accent mark tilde: dots 4, 5 in the first cell and dots 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 in the second cell.

Above the middle line you’ll find 3 rows of braille.

Read these 3 rows and find which row contains the tilde.

If you said the first row, you found it!

Below the middle line are 3 more rows of braille.

What does the first row say?

This says: jalapeño peppers.

What about the second row?

If you said: señor or señora

. . . you’re right!

Finally, read the last row.

The last row says: canyon = cañon

. . . c, a, tilde, n, o, n

Go to the next page.

Page 5

Feel the acute accent, the grave accent, and the tilde in the top left corner of the page.

Above the line are 3 rows of braille.

Find the row that has the accent marks in this order: grave accent, tilde, acute accent.

If you chose the last row, that's it!

Below the line are 3 numbered sentences.

Once again, use the Pause button or the spacebar to stop the audio for as long as you need to complete an activity. Then select the Play button, or press the spacebar again, to hear the feedback.

Go ahead and read sentence 1 and find the accent symbols.

If you found the grave accent in “cortège,” the tilde in “señorita’s,” and the acute accent in “fiancé,” you found them all!

Now try sentence 2.

This one has the grave accent in “Agnès,” the acute accent in “José,” and the tilde in “piñata.”

Finally, read sentence 3.

In this sentence, the name, “Peña”, uses the tilde, the name “María” has an acute accent, and the name “Mosè” has a grave accent.

If these were tricky, you can always select Replay to go through the page again.

And be sure to reach out to a braille expert if you have questions.

When you’re ready, turn the page.

Page 6

Feel the braille in the top left corner of the page.

These are the symbols for the diaeresis or umlaut, and the circumflex.: Above the middle line are 2 rows of braille.

The first row is the diaeresis or umlaut. In print, this accent appears as two small dots next to each other, above the letter.

The last row is the circumflex. In print, the circumflex looks like a small, upside-down v above the letter.

Below the middle line are 2 more rows of braille.

Let's read them together.

The first row says: Noël

. . . capital N, o, diaeresis, e, l

The last row says: croûton

. . . c, r, o, circumflex, u, t, o, n

Notice the o-u is not contracted.

Move to the next page.

Page 7

Feel the diaeresis or umlaut in the top left corner of the page.

This is dots 4, 5 in the first cell and dots 2, 5 in the second cell.

Above the middle line are 4 rows of braille.

Which row shows the diaeresis or umlaut?

If you said the last row, you got it!

Below the middle line are 4 more rows of braille.

Go ahead and read the first row.

This says: naïve

. . . n, a, diaeresis, i, v, e

And now read the second row.

This is the name: Zoë

. . . capital Z, o, diaeresis, e

How about the third row?

If you said: Zürich, you got it!

Capital Z, umlaut, u, r, i, c, h

And now read the last row.

This one says: coöperate

. . . c, o, diaeresis, o, p, e-r contraction, a, t, e.

Turn the page.

Page 8

Feel the circumflex in the top left corner of the page.

The circumflex is dots 4, 5 in the first cell and dots 1, 4, 6 in the second cell.

Above the middle line are 4 rows of braille.

Which row shows the circumflex?

If you said the second row, you're right!

Below the middle line are 3 rows of braille.

Each row has 2 words.

Read the first row and find which word has a circumflex.

If you chose the first name: Siân

. . . you got it!

Now find which word has a circumflex in the second row.

It’s the second word: brûlée

Finally, which word has a circumflex in the last row?

The second word: château

. . . has the circumflex.

Go to the next page.

Page 9

Feel the 5 accent marks in the top left corner of the page.

Above the middle line are 3 columns of braille.

Which column has the accent marks in this order: grave, acute, circumflex, tilde, diaeresis or umlaut?

If you chose the third column, you’re right!

Below the middle line you’ll find 4 numbered sentences.

Go ahead and read sentence 1.

Sentence 1 says: Would the Charlotte Brontë quote, "You are human and fallible," be considered a cliché?

Now try sentence 2.

This one says: Élisabeth Müller ate dinner at Città, an Italian restaurant.

What does sentence 3 say?

If you said: My favorite names are Jérôme for a boy and Siân for a girl.

. . . you got it.

Finally, read sentence 4.

Sentence 4 says: Señora Agnès served crêpes with crème fraîche to Señor Nuñez.

Turn the page.

Page 10

On this page and the next page, you’ll find some plans for a trip.

Take some time to read the plans on both pages, and then we’ll take a look at some questions.

Now that you’ve read about the travel plans, let’s take a look at some questions.

Who’s traveling to Europe?

If you said, Heléna and Élisabeth, you got it!

And where are they staying when they visit France?

They’ll go to Château Resort and Spa.

What Swiss city will they visit, and who will they meet there?

They’ll meet Chloë and Zoë in Zürich.

What foods will they eat at a café in France?

They’ll try crêpes, real French éclairs, and crème fraiche.

What will Heléna and Élisabeth have with their Spanish omelets?

They’ll have buñuelos.

And what are they concerned might happen if they eat too much?

They’re concerned they might wind up in the hôpital.

Finally, who are Heléna and Élisabeth meeting in France?

They’re meeting Aimeé’s fiancé.

That was a lot of tricky reading!

If you have any questions about accent marks or their use, be sure to call a braille expert.

When you’re ready to complete this workshop, select Next.

Completion

Congratulations! You’ve learned 5 accent marks: the acute, the circumflex, the diaeresis or umlaut, the grave, and the tilde.

If you have any questions about using these symbols, reach out to a Hadley braille expert at 847-784-2816. We’re happy to help!