Modified Morse vs. Braille for the Blind
Robert P. Bodnaryk Ph.D. 149 Linacre Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 3R5 Canada
October 6, 2010
Summary- A modified Morse code for printing embossed text for blind readers has been developed. M-Morse retains the essential features of the dot dash code but repositions dots and reorients dashes. The restructured letters in M-Morse have a tight, compact aspect that can be read as easily as Braille. M-Morse also incorporates significant innovation in coding for numbers, punctuation, symbols and accented letters to give a simple, easy-to-learn code that offers a compelling alternative to Braille.
Introduction- New Life for an Old Code
Morse is a simple, efficient and robust code that once served commercial and military needs for more than a century. Although it proved its worth in world-wide communications, Morse has never found favour with the blind for reading. Braille is used exclusively by blind readers. But why? It should be as easy, if not a lot easier, to read the raised dots and dashes of Morse, compared to reading the complex configuration of dots in a 6-dot or 8-dot Braille cell.
Anyone trying to read embossed Morse text soon learns that it is a mug's game. Yes, it can be done by sliding an index finger across the raised dots and dashes of each letter. But it is slow, tedious work because Morse is a linear code that spreads across the page. Many individual letters are too long to be identified on a single pass without mentally keeping track of the dots and dashes that have "passed by". Often one must go back for a recount just to make sure, a technique that is not conducive to speed, accuracy or equanimity of mind. Morse read by an audible tone or flashing light does not suffer these limitations because experienced readers recognize a letter not from its individual dots and dashes but from their pattern. It seems that reading by touch is not up to the task of processing linear dots and dashes in a way that would be useful to blind readers, either because of biomechanical or perceptual limitations.
In Braille, the pattern of dots in a Braille cell is perceived "all at once" by the pad of an index finger and then moving on to the next cell. It is the holistic character of coded Braille letters that enables Braille to be read with some facility.
I have devised a way of restructuring Morse so that it can be read like Braille.
Modified Morse
M-Morse restructures dots and dashes by repositioning the dots and reorienting the dashes.
dot is written as a period .
dot dot is replaced by the colon :
dot dot dot is written as colon period :.
dot dot dot dot is written as colon colon ::
The dash is replaced by lower case ell in Arial font or the keyboard vertical line.
dash is written l
dash dash is written ll
dash dash dash is written lll
The M-Morse Alphabet
Letters in M-Morse are coded using the restructured dots and dashes: the essential coding of Morse is maintained (Table 1). Restructuring results in linear compression of the coded letters (except E), some by as much as 50%. M-Morse letters have a tight, compact aspect and they can be read as easily as Braille.
Learning M-Morse
For those who already know the Morse code, the transition to M-Morse will be automatic. For first time students of M-Morse, learning the letters in their natural groups together with a mnemonic (memory device) will help you to learn them surely and quickly (Table 1).
Mnemonics tend to be idiosyncratic and personal, so if you don't like ours, make up new ones of your own or use the ones that you already know.
You should be able to learn the entire M-Morse code in a few days. Proficiency in speed and accuracy comes with practice.
Aim to recognize the pattern of the symbols for each letter so that you get past the "hump" of individual dots and lines.
Table 1. The M-Morse Alphabet
Letters with Dots Only
Letter | Morse | M-Morse | Mnemonic |
E | ∙ | . | Elephants |
l | ∙∙ | : | In |
S | ∙∙∙ | :. | Straw |
H | ∙∙∙∙ | :: | Hats |
Letters with Dashes Only, Plus Z
Letter | Morse | M-Morse | Mnemonic |
T | − | l | Terry & |
M | −− | ll | Mary |
O | −−− | lll | Own a |
Z | −−∙∙ | ll: | Zebra |
Letter Pairs- Dots and Dashes Replace One Another
Letter | Morse | M-Morse | Mnemonic |
K | −∙− | l.l | King |
R | ∙−∙ | .l. | Rex (at the) |
P | ∙−−∙ | .ll. | P |
X | −∙∙− | l:l | X |
Letter Pairs- Order of Dots and Dashes Reversed, Plus C and J
Letter | Morse | M-Morse | Mnemonic |
A | ∙− | .l | Aunt |
N | −∙ | l. | Nellie |
C | −∙−∙ | l.l. | Cooks |
U | ∙∙− | :l | Uncle |
D | −∙∙ | l: | Doug |
V | ∙∙∙− | :.l | Vegetable |
B | −∙∙∙ | l:. | Broth |
F | ∙∙−∙ | :l. | Father |
L | ∙−∙∙ | .l: | Laughs (because) |
G | −−∙ | ll. | Granny |
W | ∙−− | .ll | Wears |
J | ∙−−− | .lll | Jeans (and has a high) |
Y | −∙−− | l.ll | Youth |
Q | −−∙− | ll.l | Quotient |
Numbers in M-Morse
A new coding system has been devised for numbers in M-Morse (Table 2). Two alerting symbols are used to signal that numbers begin < and end > and take the form <n> or <n> <n> <n> or <n n n >
where n stand for any number.
Table 2. Numbers in M-Morse
Number | Morse | M-Morse |
1 | ∙−−−− | . |
2 | ∙∙−−− | : |
3 | ∙∙∙−− | :. |
4 | ∙∙∙∙− | :: |
5 | ∙∙∙∙∙ | l |
6 | −∙∙∙∙ | l. |
7 | −−∙∙∙ | l: |
8 | −−−∙∙ | l:. |
9 | −−−−∙ | l:: |
10/0 | −−−−− | ll |
< > | <n> |
Numbers in M-Morse have a remarkably tight, compact aspect compared to their lengthy Morse counterparts (Table 2). The new coding system combined with restructured dots and dashes results in linear compression of up to 80% over Morse. For example, the number 1867 in Morse is:
−∙ ∙−∙ ∙−−−− −−−∙∙ −∙∙∙∙ −−∙∙∙
In M-Morse 1867 is:
< . l:. l. l: >
Numbers in M-Morse are intuitive, and that makes them easy to learn and easy to read. It takes just a few minutes to learn them all, and once you know them it is likely that you will remember them forever. And read them error-free. Numbers by their nature demand a coding system that has the lowest possibility for error. M-Morse numbers meet that high coding standard.
In Braille, numbers are coded by various configurations of dots in each Braille cell. Coding is not intuitive: 3 has 2 dots, 4 has 3 dots, 5 has 2 dots on a diagonal, 6 has 3 dots (but in a different configuration than 4), 7 has 4 dots, 8 has 3 dots (again, different configuration), 9 has 2 dots that run on a diagonal opposite to that of 5, and 0 has 3 dots (yet a fourth configuration). Error prone? We think so. A burden to learn? No doubt about it!
Symbols in M-Morse
M-Morse uses computer keyboard symbols directly without encoding them (Table 3). When embossed, these distinctive symbols are as easy to read (if not easier) as the complex Morse or Braille codes for them.
M-Morse uses / for the period because the period has been used in coding. For a similar reason \\ is used for the colon. A semicolon could be used directly from the keyboard, but it is too easily confused with the colon used in coding. Instead, \\\ is used for the semicolon.
M-Morse uses \ for the comma. Again, the comma could be used directly, but it is too easily confused with the coding period when reading by touch.
Table 3. Punctuation Symbols in M-Morse
Punctuation | Keyboard symbol |
Period Decimal Dot | / |
Comma | \ |
Colon | \\ |
Semicolon | \\\ |
Question | ? |
Exclamation | ! |
Single Quotes | ' ' |
Double Quotes | " " |
Round Brackets | ( ) |
Square Brackets | [ ] |
Arithmetic Symbols in M-Morse
M-Morse uses keyboard symbols for + - x directly but uses */* for division because ÷ is usually not available from the keyboard.
The ^ is used for power functions and is coded as x ^ y to signify x raised to the power of y.
In M-Morse
< l ^ : > is 52 Five squared
< l ^ :. > is 53 Five cubed
< l ^ ll > is 510 Five to the power of ten
Table 4. Arithmetic Symbols in M-Morse
Operator | Symbol |
Add | + |
Subtract | - |
Multiply | X |
Divide | */* |
Power | ^ |
Equals | = |
Per Cent | % |
Number Sign | # |
Dollar Sign | $ |
Alerting Symbols in M-Morse
M-Morse uses keyboard symbols to alert the reader that a change in the nature of the text will follow. The numbers begin < and numbers end > symbols first encountered in Table 2 illustrates the use of alerting symbols. Other symbols alert the reader to a capital letter, italics, and a new paragraph (Table 5).
Table 5. Alerting Symbols in M-Morse
Numbers begin / end | < > |
Italics begin / end | ~ |
Capital letter | * |
Paragraph | { |
At (email) | @ |
Prefix Symbols for Accented Letters in M-Morse
M-Morse uses keyboard symbols as prefixes to letters to indicate the accent in foreign letters (Table 6). There is some overlap of symbols used for accented letters and punctuation. The context in which a symbol is used in text will prevent ambiguity.
Table 6. Prefix Symbols for Accented Letters in M-Morse
Prefix | Accented Letter |
** | ä ë ï ö ü |
^ | â ê î ô û |
\ | à è ì ò ù |
/ | á é í ó ú |
~ | ñ |
, | Ç |
The prefix system is flexible because one keyboard symbol can create multiple accented letters. For example:
**.l for ä
**. for ë
** : for ï
In Braille, each accented letter has its own code, adding to the burden of the already burdened reader.
Some will object to incorporating computer keyboard symbols into M-Morse. The purists would have us keep to dots and dashes, reconfigured or not. It is sufficient to say that M-Morse is for reading embossed text, not for transmission by electronic means or by flashing light. The use of keyboard symbols contributes to the efficiency and flexibility of M-Morse because codes for the symbols are unnecessary. Indeed, keyboard symbols themselves are codes. For instance, the + sign is a code for "Add these numbers". It is perverse to add yet another layer of coding in the form of dots or dots and dashes. However, input from blind readers is needed to refine the use of keyboard symbols, and some symbols may need codes of their own.
Use of keyboard symbols in M-Morse saves space, an important consideration in preparing long documents or books.
Words and Abbreviations in M-Morse
Braille uses single letters in text to stand for frequently used words in a kind of shorthand. For example:
a for a, b for but, c for can, d for do, e for every, etc.
Shorthand can be used in M-Morse. It makes sense to follow the conventions established for Braille.
Devices for Embossing M-Morse
M-Morse can be produced by hand with the same slate & stylus used for Braille. Embossed labels can be printed with an inexpensive Dymo © hand held label maker. Documents and books can be prepared using an embossing text printer attached to a computer, or conceivably by a refreshable M-Morse display.
Typing M-Morse
M-Morse can be typed directly from a computer keyboard and the text sent to an embossing printer. It may be a lot faster for some to type the text in English and then convert it into M-Morse. The 'Find and Replace' function of word processing programs such as Microsoft's Word © or Corel's WordPerfect © can be used as an expedient for the conversion. An alphabet letter is entered into the 'Find' box and its M-Morse equivalent put in the 'Replace With' box, paying close attention to the spacing requirements of M-Morse i.e. two spaces between letters and four spaces between words. It is a lot of work because all 26 letters and 10 numbers have to be entered. Undoubtedly dedicated software could be developed easily for automatic conversion and spacing.
Any text in digital form, be it email, Web page, document or book can be converted into M-Morse and sent to an embossing text printer.
M-Morse vs. Braille
It is generally accepted that Braille is neither easy to learn nor easy to read proficiently. Braille books are bulky and expensive. Only about 10% of books published in English are available in Braille. This regrettable situation may in part be due to the need for expert Braille translators for their preparation.
M-Morse has few of these limitations and offers a compelling alternative to Braille. M-Morse is based on Morse, an efficient code with a proven track record in commercial and military communications. The efficiency of M-Morse has been further enhanced by innovative coding strategies that reduce complexity and save space on the embossed page. And M-Morse is simple enough to be learned in a few days at most.
Shakespeare in M-Morse? Let us be the first!
*l :: . .l. . .l .l. . ll lll .l. . l :: : l. ll. :. : l.
:: . .l :.l . l. .l l. l: . .l .l. l :: \ *:: lll .l. .l l : lll
*l :: .l l. .l .l. . l: .l. . .l ll l lll ll.l : l.
l.ll lll :l .l. .ll. :: : l.ll lll :. lll .ll. :: l.ll
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy
Hamlet, William Shakespeare
