We believe that a “useful”, tactile symbol-set must have the following characteristics:

• Rules-based “Conceptual Language” – the goal is language development
  • Internal consistency – for carry-over of learning from symbol to symbol
  • Standards body to validate, and ground, construction of the language and specification of symbols
• Independent of culture – so cultural knowledge is not a prerequisite
• Simple designs – low tactile and cognitive load
• Flexible designs – you’re in control of the amount of complexity
• Extensible – easily create new symbols if the language is generative

Rules-based “Conceptual Language”

First, why talk about “conceptual language” and not a “set of core words”? 

This is a bit of a red herring.  We assume that the set of core words have been selected from a larger lexicon for a particular language.  So all rules governing the language should also govern the set of core words.  Of course, depending on the selected set, the underlying rules may not be obvious or may even appear contradictory.

This is also a red herring because, the individual using these core words are likely not using the written or spoken version of the words.  Tactile symbols represent a transformation of these words from their spoken or written form into a tactile form.  The tactile form must have a consistent set of rules governing their structure and form if one is to genuinely develop, even rudimentary, language skills through their use.

For blind and/or deaf individuals, who lack the knowledge/support of a written or spoken language, the tactile symbols themselves must embody the rules of a language.  A set of core tactile symbols is unlikely to have a clear set of associated rules unless the symbols were derived from a rules-based language.

A language based on rules will have internal consistency.  With internal consistency, learning one part of the language will facilitate learning another part of the language.  Without internal consistency, learning a language is an exercise in endless memorization.  You can’t establish rules halfway through the development of a language.  The rules must be specified early-on.  If a set of symbols are first generated simply to be unique from each other and to be mildly connected to their referent, it’s impossible to retrofit a set of rules without making significant modifications to the base of symbols.

Why the emphasis on “conceptual”?

Communication is all about conveying concepts from one person to another. 

Written and spoken words (and their encodings like Braille) have evolved over centuries and carry all the warts and struggles of that evolution – just consider issues like pronunciation rules and homonyms.  A tremendous amount of decoding is required to go from a pronunciation like “brāk” to the concept of “separate or cause to separate into pieces”.  Is that person saying “break” or “brake”?  What’s the context?  Is it followed by the word “time”?  Is the speaker speaking in English or some other language or have an accent?  Maybe they’re Scottish and they were talking about a “brick”…

Blissymbols cut through all that confusion and “speak” directly in concepts.

Internal consistency

Blissymbolics was originally conceived of as a complete language by Charles Bliss.  His goal was to create an alternative to the spoken languages of the day.  A language that could be used by anyone, anywhere in the world.  A language that could not be used to deceive others.  To achieve this goal, Bliss had to define rules for his language before he could design a representation for the first concept.

Standards body

Early on, Bliss was the sole developer of his language and therefore could ensure that each new element adhered to the rules he had established and was consistent with the elements that came before.  At the same time, Blissymbolics are naturally generative.  Many Bliss concepts are created by superimposing or concatenating more primitive concepts.  Once Blissymbolics became popular, there was a natural desire, by users of the language, to do the same thing.  But that can produce a chaotic language.  To control the chaos, a standards body is needed to curate, new candidate words/concepts.  Blissymbolics Communication International serves as this standards body.

Independent of culture

Blissymbols were conceived of to be purely conceptual.  The Blissymbol used by a western European for the concept “dog” is the same one used in east Asia.

Simple designs

All graphics are comprised of just a few straight lines and curves of different sizes.

Flexible designs

The Bliss Tactile Symbol designer lets you add features like Braille and engraved text when, and if, you need it

Extensible

Blissymbolics is generative so the tactile symbols must also be generative.  Start with an official Bliss word or build your own concepts by combining Bliss words in new ways.