Bliss Workshop

Welcome to the Bliss Workshop! This workshop is for those who wish to teach Bliss to others. From time to time a new session will be added, and throughout, tips will be given regarding teaching Bliss to those who use it for their face-to-face communication and their Blisslnternet communication.

When you think about teaching Bliss, there are three primary factors to remember:

1. Key Symbols
2. Language Structure
3. Generative

Key Symbols

Less than 120 Blissymbols represent primary meanings or concepts that are used repeatedly to generate additional symbol vocabulary. The International Panel has helped BCI to identify the key symbols that appear in the Blissymbol Reference Guide. The list that is included there is not definitive; as new vocabulary is added to the system, a few new key symbols may be added. Key symbols provide the key to deciphering any existing symbols and offer the potential for creating new compound symbols.

You can decode new symbols you come across by identifying their key symbol components, i.e. "spelling out their meaning units".

e.g.

person	+	feeling	+	positive	+	intensity	=	friend
person	+	container	+	up	+	knowledge	=	teacher
animal	+	feeling	=	pet

When Bliss users gain experience in analysing the components of symbols in order to interpret the meaning of the whole symbol, they are applying a skill that will be helpful to them when they need to decode words - visual analysis.

Language Structure

Blissymbolics has its own grammar. Parts of speech are marked with indicators. mind (shape of the top of the head)

Indicators give Bliss users the power to communicate verbs, adjectives, adverbs, plural, tenses beginning with a basic concept found in a noun. This capability gives a lot of power to knowing a small number of symbols.

Find out how numbers are used to create pronouns by visiting the "Land of Bliss".

Now here's how you can say "my house" and "my pet":

Take the symbol for "I and me" (person + 1)

and add the possessive (belongs to).

Now you have "my"

So here is "my home" ("I+possessive" space "house")

Generative

Because each unit in a Blissymbol provides an element of meaning, you can make your own Blissymbols by using a variety of strategies. The most important one is the combine strategy.

I hope, as you learn more, you will become a "lover of Bliss"

combine indicator + person + love + Blissymbol + combine indicator

Do you see how I have selected three key symbols,sequenced them together and created my own combined symbol? The combine indicator marks the symbol as my personal creation, not to be found in the standard vocabulary. Anyone who knows Bliss can decode it! Now you will know why there were combine indicators around "introduce" on our Home Page.

The Blissymbol for "introduce" is not in our standardvocabulary in the Blissymbol Reference Guide and we needed it! All we had to do was think about what the word means and spell its essential meaning with key symbols!

introduce = bring a person to first knowledge of something.

in Bliss,

combine indicator + lead + person + knowledge + combine indicator

For Bliss users who have lots to say, learning how to combine and create their own symbols opens up the world to them. We will be introducing you to Mr. and Mrs. Combine (our Canadian specialists in combining) in future sessions!

Next session, we will look at more key symbols and examine more closely the role of indicators and strategies.

If you would like to ask a question or try creating your own combined symbol with the key symbols introduced in this session, email the word equivalents to.

The best combined symbols submitted will appear in the next session of the Workshop.

For articles and research papers on Bliss literacy and education, please visit our research and development section.