Braille is not a language, it is representation of the alphabet or a character set.  However, Braille Grade 2 is a set of about 250 abbreviations for common English letter combinations or very common words.  Selected items are given either a non-standard Braille character or a short combination of standard and / or non-standard Braille characters.  There is also a Braille Grade 3 with more abbreviations.  This section deals with Braille Grade 2.

In order to remember Braille characters, I first needed to be able to remember the possible combinations of Braille dots.  Each Braille character has two columns and potentially three dots in each column.  Most people use numbers to represent the dot positions: 1 is the top of the left column, 2 in the middle, 3 at the bottom; 4 is the top of the right column, 5 in the middle, and 6 at the bottom.  Other people have used the base-8 "octal" numbering system: 8, 16, 32, 1, 2, 4.

I have chosen to use Latin letter combinations to describe the patterns that I see in each column of dots.  I feel this closely resembles the original design of the Braille alphabet.  One or two letters represent the value in one column.  Two columns' letters are combined to represent the whole character.  Commas are used to separate characters within a word.

a - dot 1

ae - dots 1,2

b - dot 2

be - dots 2,3

c - dot 3

k - dots 1,3

l - dots 1,2,3

z - no dots

a - a

a,aa - according - ac

a,aa,lb - across - acr

a,ae - about - ab

a,ae,lc - above - abv

a,aea - after - af

a,aea,bl - afterward - afw

a,aea,kae - afternoon - afn

a,aeae - again - ag

a,aeae,ca - against - ag(st)

a,l,al - although - al(th)

a,l,beae - altogether - alt

a,l,bl - always - alw

a,l,ka - also - al

a,l,lb - almost - alm

a,l,lb - already - alr

aa - c

aa - can

aa,aae - could - cd

aae - d

aae - do - (dot 1 4 5)

aae,aa,l - declare - dcl

aae,aa,l,aeae - declaring - dclg

aae,aa,lc - deceive - dcv

ab - e

ab - every - (dot 1 5)

ab,ba - either - ei

abe - circumflex letter u - (dot 1 5 6)

abe - wh - (dot 1 5 6)

abe - which - (dot 1 5 6)

ac - ch - (dot 1 6)

ac - child - (dot 1 6)

ac - circumflex letter a - (dot 1 6)

ac,kae - children - (ch)n

ae - b

ae - but

ae,abe - whose - (dot 4 5)(wh)

ae,al - those - (dot 4 5)(th)

ae,bek - these - (dot 4 5)(the)

ae,bl - word - (dot 4 5)w

ae,kc - upon - (dot 4 5)u

ae,lb,l - braille - brl

aea - f

aea - from - (dot 1 2 4)

aea,ca - first - f(st)

aea,lb - friend - fr

aeae - g

aeae - go - (dot 1 2 4 5)

aeae,aae - good - gd

aeae,lb,beae - great - grt

aeb - h

aeb - have - (dot 1 2 5)

aeb,ael,aea - herself - h(er)f

aeb,ka - him - hm

aeb,ka,aea - himself - hmf

aebe - ou - (dot 1 2 5 6)

aebe - out - (dot 1 2 5 6)

aebe - umlaut letter u - (dot 1 2 5 6)

aebe,lb,lc,bea - ourselves - (ou)rvs

aec - circumflex letter e - (dot 1 2 6)

aec - gh - (dot 1 2 6)

aek - ed - (dot 1 2 4 6)

aek - umlaut letter e - (dot 1 2 4 6)

ael - er (dot 1 2 4 5 6)

ael - umlaut letter i - (dot 1 2 4 5 6)

ak - circumflex letter i - (dot 1 4 6)

ak - sh - (dot 1 4 6)

ak - shall - (dot 1 4 6)

ak,aae - should - (sh)d

al - circumflex letter o - (dot 1 4 5 6)

al - th - (dot 1 4 5 6)

al - this - (dot 1 4 5 6)

al,kl,aea - thyself - thyf

b - ea - (dot 2)

b,aae - day - (dot 5)d

b,ab - ever - (dot 5)e

b,abe - where - (dot 5)(wh)

b,ac - character - (dot 5)(ch)

b,aea - father - (dot 5)f

b,aeb - here - (dot 5)h

b,aebe - ought - (dot 5)(ou)

b,al - through - (dot 5)(th)

b,bea - some - (dot 5)s

b,beae - time - (dot 5)t

b,bek - there - (dot 5)(the)

b,bl - work - (dot 5)w

b,k - know - (dot 5)k

b,ka - mother - (dot 5)m

b,kae - name - (dot 5)n

b,kb - one - (dot 5)o

b,kb,aea - oneself - (one)f

b,kc - under - (dot 5)u

b,kl - young - (dot 5) y

b,l - lord - (dot 5)L

b,la - part - (dot 5)p

b,lae - question - (dot 5)q

b,lb - right - (dot 5)r

ba - i

ba,ka,ka - immediate - imm

bae - j

bae - just - (dot 2 4 5)

bb - cc - (dot 2 5)

bb - colon (:) - (dot 2 5)

bb - con - (dot 2 5)

bb - to - (dot 2 3 5)

bb,aa,lc - conceive - (con)cv

bb,aa,lc,aeae - conceiving - (con)cvg

bbe - dd - (dot 2 5 6)

bbe - dis - (dot 2 5 6)

bbe - period (.) - (dot 2 5 6)

bc - en - (dot 2 6)

bc - enough - (dot 2 6)

be - bb - (dot 2 3)

be - be - (dot 2 3)

be - semicolon (;) - (dot 2 3)

be,aa - because - (be)c

be,ab - ence - (dot 5 6)e

be,aea - before - (be)f

be,aeae - ong - (dot 5 6)g

be,aeb - behind - (be)h

be,bea - beside (be)s

be,bea - ness - (dot 5 6)s

be,beae - between - (be)t

be,beae - ment - (dot 5 6)t

be,kae - beneath - (be)n

be,kae - tion - (dot 5 6)n

be,kl - beyond - (be)y

be,kl - ity - (dot 5 6)y

be,l - below - (be)l

be,l - blind - bl

be,l - ful - (dot 5 6)L

bea - so - (dot 2 3 4)

bea,aae - said - sd

bea,ac - such - s(ch)

beae - t

beae - that - (dot 2 3 4 5)

beae,aae - today - td

beae,aeae,lb - together - tgr

beae,ka - tomorrow - tm

beae,kae - tonight - tn

beb - exclamation mark (!) - (dot 2 3 5)

beb - ff - (dot 2 3 5)

bebe - dollar sign ($) - (dot 2 3 5 6)

bebe - gg - (dot 2 3 5 6)

bebe - were - (dot 2 3 5 6)

bebe,zc - close parenthesis ")"

bec - his - (dot 2 3 6)

bec - open quotation mark (") - (dot 2 3 6)

bec - question mark (?) - (dot 2 3 6)

bek - grave letter e - (dot 2 3 4 6)

bek - the - (dot 2 3 4 6)

bek,ka,lc,bea - themselves - (the)mvs

bel - grave letter u - (dot 2 3 4 5 6)

bel - with - (dot 2 3 4 5 6)

bk - ethel (oe) - (dot 2 4 6)

bk - ow - (dot 2 4 6)

bk - umlaut letter o - (dot 2 4 6)

bl - w

bl - will - (dot 2 4 5 6)

bl,aae - would - wd

c,kae - ation - (dot 6)n

c,kl - ally - (dot 6)y

ca - forward slash (/) - (dot 3 4)

ca - grave letter i - (dot 3 4)

ca - st - (dot 3 4)

ca - still - (dot 3 4)

cae - ar - (dot 3 4 5)

cae - ash (ae) - (dot 3 4 5)

cae - umlaut letter a - (dot 3 4 5)

cb - in - (dot 3 5)

cb,beb - into - (in)(to)

cb,cb - asterisk (*)

cbe - by - (dot 3 5 6)

cbe - close quotation mark (") - (dot 3 5 6)

cbe - was - (dot 3 5 6)

cc - com - (dot 3 6)

cc - hyphen (-) - (dot 3 6)

cc,cc - dash (--)

cc,cc,cc,cc - double dash (----)

ck - grave letter o - (dot 3 4 6)

ck - ing - (dot 3 4 6)

cl - ble - (dot 3 4 5 6)

cl - numeral sign - (dot 3 4 5 6)

cl,a - (#1)

cl,aa - (#3)

cl,aae - (#4)

cl,ab - (#5)

cl,ae - (#2)

cl,aea - (#6)

cl,aeae - (#7)

cl,aeb - (#8)

cl,ba - (#9)

cl,bae - (#0)

cz - single quote (') - (dot 3)

ea - comma - (dot 2)

k - k

k - knowledge - (dot 1 3)

k,aae - ound - (dot 4 6)d

k,ab - ance - (dot 4 6)e

k,bea - less - (dot 4 6)s

k,beae - ount - (dot 4 6)t

k,kae - sion - (dot 4 6)n

ka - m

ka - more - (dot 1 2 4)

ka,ac - much - m(ch)

ka,ac - must - m(st)

ka,kl,aea - myself - myf

kae - n

kae - not - (dot 1 3 4 5)

kae,ab,aa - necessary - nec

kae,ab,ba - neither - nei

kb - o

kb,cbe,aa - o'clock - o'c

kbe - as - (dot 1 3 5 6)

kbe - as - z

kbe - z

kc - u

kc - us - (dot 1 3 6)

kk - it - (dot 1 3 4 6)

kk - it - x

kk - x

kk,aea - itself - xf

kk,bea - its - xs

kl - y

kl - you - (dot 1 3 4 5 6)

kl,lb - your - yr

kl,lb,aea - yourself - yrf

kl,lb,lc,bea - yourselves - yrvs

l - l

l - like - (dot 1 2 3)

l,aa - cannot - (dot 4 5 6)c

l,aeb - had - (dot 4 5 6)h

l,bea - spirit - (dot 4 5 6)s

l,bek - their - (dot 4 5 6)(the)

l,bl - world - (dot 4 5 6)w

l,ka - many - (dot 4 5 6)m

l,l - little - LL

l,lb - letter - Lr

la - p

la - people - (dot 1 2 3 4)

la,aae - paid - pd

la,ael,aa,lc - perceive - p(er)cv

la,ael,aa,lc,aeae - perceiving - p(er)cvg

la,ael,aeb - perhaps - p(er)h

lae - q

lae - quite - (dot 1 2 3 4 5)

lae,k - quick - qk

lb - r

lb - rather - (dot 1 2 3 5)

lb,aa,lc,aeae - receiving - rcvg

lb,aae,lc - receive - rcv

lb,bae,aa - rejoice - rjc

lb,bae,aa,aeae - rekoicing - rjcg

lbe - grave letter a - (dot 1 2 3 5 6)

lbe - of - (dot 1 2 3 5 6)

lc - v

lc - very - (dot 1 2 3 6)

lk - and - (dot 1 2 3 4 6)

lk - cedilla c - (dot 1 2 3 4 6)

ll - acute letter e - (dot 1 2 3 4 5 6)

ll - for - (dot 1 2 3 4 5 6)

za - numerical index sign - (dot 4)

zae - literal index - (dot 4 5)

zb,bz - ditto ""

zbe - letter sign - (dot 5 6)

zc - capital sign - (dot 6)

zc,bebe - open parenthesis "("

zk - decimal point (.) - (dot 4 6)

zk - italic sign - (dot 4 6)