This document gives the code used in the United Kingdom for transcribing text in French.
French code is written letter for letter, the following word signs being used:
b for bien
c for ce
d for de
j for je
l for le
m for me
n for ne
p for par
q for que
s for se
t for te
v for vous
The following special accents signs should be used:
& ç
= é
( à
! è
) ù
* â
< ê
% î
? ô
: û
$ ë
] ï
\ ü
[ oe diphthong
The capital sign (dots 4-6) is always used in French, except when the italic sign is used, in which case the italic (dots 4-5-6) takes the place of the capital. Double italic is dots 2-5/4-5-6 at the beginning and dots 4-5-6 before the last word. The double capital sign does not exist in the French code (i.e. when transcribing words in block capitals in the print). If there is a genuine reason for a word to be accentuated, then italics are used as in Standard English Braille. However, block capitals are often used for visual effect only and initial capitals may well be all that is needed.
Where the title of a book, section or chapter etc., which is to be centred, is printed all in block capitals, the capital sign should only be used in braille before the first word of the title and before any of the other words which would normally be written with initial capitals.
The ellipsis is the same, and spaced the same, as in English.
The query is dots 2-6.
In French the "tiret", a short dash, is often used instead of inverted commas. This is rendered in braille by dots 6/3-6 joined to the following word.
In some French books the same sign is used for inner quotes as for outer quotes, but inner quotes are indicated by repeating the opening quote at the beginning of each print line of the passage in inner quotes, and only closing at the end of it. In braille the inner quote sign is the same as English and should open only at the beginning of the inner quoted passage and close only at the end of it.
Distinction must be made in French between a tiret and a dash. A tiret – dot 6 hyphen, preceded but not followed by a space, is used to open speech. This is usually found at the beginning of a paragraph but can occasionally occur within a paragraph if the speaker changes. The dash is conjunctive as in English, and is brailled in exactly the same way.
The full stop is the same as in English: dots 2-5-6.
Dot 3 is used instead of the full stop where a stop is used to indicate an abbreviation (e.g. M. Bergeret; J.-P. Sartre; l'U.R.S.S.). If this occurs at the end of a sentence, use both abbreviation point and full stop.
Dot 3 should also be written after the number before ordinal endings.
Examples: 2e #b'e; 2ème #b'!me
In French abbreviations (e.g. C.E.S.) the capital sign must precede each capital letter. This applies whether or not the abbreviation point is used in print.
Example: C.E.S. .c'.E'.S'
Roman numerals in French do not have the letter sign before them. The letter sign is never used in French. No letter signs are needed before accented words when using the French code. These are only required before accented foreign words in an English context.
The French asterisk is a single dots 3-5 sign.
In French print the accents are often omitted over capital letters, but we are obliged to use the proper braille sign for the accented letter. This would only normally apply to words beginning with A or E and the exclamation O.
In the French code, the ellided vowels shown by the apostrophe do not constitute one word and the italic sign must be repeated after the apostrophe. This is the same rule as applies to italicised foreign words in an English context, i.e. "d'être" is brailled: _d'_<tre.
Time sequences in French, such as 18h30 are brailled spaced without a letter sign as 18 h 30. 35F (francs) is brailled #CF.F, showing the capital (if used in print); however if a lower case letter is used for the unit it must be spaced.
In long figures, such as 20 000, the mathematical comma must be inserted between the thousands and hundreds to show that it is all one figure.
The following on word division may be useful. Words may be divided:
(a) before one consonant, e.g. bi-jou, mou-lin
(b) before 2 consonants spoken together, e.g. mi-gnon
(c) where there are three consonants, at the one most apart, e.g. con-troverse, ressem-bler, promp-ter.
(d) between c and q, e.g. ac-quitter.
(e) between double consonants, e.g. pas-ser, rail-ler, af-fairs; but not where pronunciation is disturbed, e.g. Alle-magne.
(f) never between slurred vowels or vowels spoken together, e.g. enroue-ment, vi- cieux; vieux and similar words should not be divided.
1. In English context in a bilingual text, French code (including French italics where necessary) should be used for the following:
(a) French words in quotes or italics.
(b) French words which form a centred heading.
(c) French passages which are inset.
(d) French words which form a source at the end of a sentence or passage in French.
(e) French words which are separated by a colon from an English interpretation, as in Notes or Vocabulary.
2. Any French words in an English context which are in the same type as the surrounding text and which do not fall into any of the above categories, may be considered to be Anglicized and English contractions may be used, with care, when these would not distort the pronunciation. However, if any of these words contain accents, they should be uncontracted, preceded by a letter sign and the special accent sign should be used.
3. Any foreign words other than French which are in quotes or italics in this English context, should be uncontracted and dot 4 should be used for any accent signs.
4. Foreign words other than French which are not in quotes or italics, should be regarded as Anglicized and English contractions should be used, with care, when these would not distort the pronunciation. The dot 4 method should be used for any accent signs.
5. In French context, all foreign (including English) words which are not in quotes or italics, may be considered as Frenchified and French contractions may be used, with care, when these would not distort the pronunciation. The dot 4 method should be used for any accent signs.
SJP/TE/7.7.95