Back in the early seventies, I received funding from the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, to publish a book about the children in our first Blissymbol classes. It was an exciting project, providing a glimpse into the type of experiences we had, as children used Blissymbols for the first time. The changes in their lives were profound, as they learned to share their thoughts and imagination. Our classrooms grew from a part-time class in the basement of the Ontario Crippled Children’s Centre (OCCC), now the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, to two full-time classrooms in the school wing. Throughout our initial program and its expansion, we were supported by an interdisciplinary team of committed professionals. From this early beginning in 1971, the use of Bliss spread to 32 countries and 17 languages. When our Bliss archival collection is completed, there will be many more experiences to share. For now Symbol Secrets provides a beginning!
On Sunday Aug. 2, Don Heights Unitarian Congregation devoted the zoom service to sharing the creative accomplishments of members and friends. There were presentations of humorous short stories, thoughtful reflections, and, best of all, three children’s stories. One was a loving tale about a friendly giant and a lost butterfly, called The Princess Butterfly, written by Bev Gorbet with her young students many years ago. One was about a pig that angered his fellow farm animals by biting them until one day he learned to stop, accompanied by a song, by Chris White. This story and song had been written when Chris was a teenager, trying to stop his very young brother from biting family members. Lastly, I read a section of Symbol Secrets, sharing the fun we had in our early Bliss program. There was a bit of a mix-up with no sound accompanying the video of Symbol Secrets at the beginning, but we were able to rectify the situation by my reading live.
I was delighted to share part of Symbol Secrets with the Don Heights zoom group, and I invited them to hear the end of the story here, at Blissful Thoughts.
I hope those who come to our blog for Symbol Secrets will leave their comments for the Bliss users and friends who are regular Blissful Thinkers.
Carolyn Henry and Joe Jessop have been contributing their experience from Bliss i-Band to help Shirley with a senior's music group.
Thanks to the help from these two Bliss alumni, we have had 'fun' music sessions on Saturday afternoons. I called the group ESTEEM - Enabling Seniors To Enjoy Ensemble Music. We met weekly in Don Heights Unitarian Congregation’s premises.
ESTEEM in Don Mills began in 2018, with Joe and Carolyn demonstrating for the seniors in the group, how they played music using 'garage band' on an i-Pad. The seniors used Orff instruments the first year. In our second year some of them began using i-Pads. The exception was Eric. The bass xylophone was always “his” instrument!
We have lost Mary and Eric, Joe has moved to Orillia, and Covid-19 has made it impossible for us to continue our sessions. However, we have many happy memories! This video is dedicated to those who made ESTEEM at Don Heights so memorable!
Click on the 'play button' below to start the video. Listen to the music for the first minute, and watch for the musicians to appear!
As we have been exploring the best way to make digital performances of the Bliss i-Band, we made a series of 3 recordings. First Aaron played the piece; then I added my part; then Sam and Julie added their part. I love watching this version - with both Aaron and myself receding into the background, and viewers really able to see and hear Sam's enjoyment. Her singing is very special! Sweet Caroline is a favourite piece for her. I hope Sam will share the reason with us, some day!
Now that we have a way to add Comments or make contributions to Blissful Thoughts, I would like to ask for ideas regarding a particular symbol. This time the interjection symbol needs to represent the phrase, "I feel outraged!"
(If you would like to review how to make an Entry, type contribute in the Search Box that appears on each Entry site)
This is what the Search Box looks like (example only, not active here)
Several “interjections have been demonstrated in a previous Entry.
(To review previous interjections, type interjection in the Search Box that appears on each Entry site.)
I invite thoughts regarding the two following suggestions for “I feel outraged!”.
Let’s explore using the Blissymbol for “interjection”!
An interjection is a short exclamation, sometimes inserted into a sentence.
It is easy to remember the Bliss elements in “interjection” feeling + mouth “feeling expressed by the mouth”
We have had this symbol element for a long time!
We used it in “Wow” and “Yuk” in the seventies, when we first began using Blissymbols.
'Blissful Thoughts' gives us the opportunity to have some fun, thinking of ways to express interjections in Bliss.
I am going to suggest ways to represent some interjections we use in English, and offer a personal interjection that I use frequently!
I invite those interested in Bliss to comment on my suggestions and also to offer their ideas for representing their personal Bliss interjections.
Oh - used to express a range of emotions including surprise, anger, disappointment, or joy, or when reacting to something that has just been said.
Bliss elements interjection + feeling + intensity
uh-uh - used to express a negative response to a question or remark
Bliss elements interjection + opposition
"I can't agree!"
uh-huh - used to express assent or as a noncommittal response to a question or remark
Bliss elements interjection + agreement
"I can go along with that!"
whatever - used to show disinterest or disbelief in answer to a statement
Bliss elements interjection + disinterest
"If you say so!"
aha -used to express insight, satisfaction, triumph, or surprise.
Bliss elements interjection + insight
"I get it!"
“Nuts!” or “Oh, Nuts” - My personal interjection when I accidentally do something, unintended, that irritates me. Don’t ask me why!
Bliss elements interjection + seed + tree + plural
"How stupid of me!”
NOTE
The above symbols are examples of ways to use “interjection” for personal use in conversation. These interjections will NOT be found in the BCI Authorized Vocabulary (AV). They are offered as a strategy for personal use only.
I look forward to your thoughts on the interjections above and I hope you will share your favourite interjections with us.
If you write in English print, add a Comment in the box below every Blog entry. Your entry will appear soon after, in Blissful Thoughts. The box immediately blow this line is an example of what the comment box looks like. This box is not active. Go to an Entry if you have a comment to make in response to that Entry.
If you write in Bliss, send your Bliss message, with English glosses, as a pdf file to shirley@blissymbolics.org. It will be placed on page 2 of the Blog entry.
If you would like your English message to be translated into Bliss, send it to shirley@blissymbolics.org. It will be placed on page 2 of the Blog entry.
If you have a picture to share, send it as a jpg file toshirley@blissymbolics.org. It will be placed on page 2 of the Blog entry.
Example of accommodating now and in the seventies!
We all know how important it is to have an international standard for the use of Blissymbolics. BCI maintains an Authorized Vocabulary for this very reason.
However we also know that ‘living communication’ requires some accommodation from time to time, to meet the needs of users. A practical example of this took place many years ago when those whose native language was Hebrew needed to view their Blissymbols from right to left instead of from left to right as we do with English words. Judy Seligman-Wine and her colleagues did the extensive work to make this happen when Judy moved from Canada to Israel in the seventies.
We have an example of collaboration and accommodation on Canada Day, 2020. We provided a Blissymbol for “social distancing” for those who speak Hebrew. A “Blissful way” for Canada to collaborate internationally to celebrate our special day!
Here is how it happened:
Back in April, Wern Palmus in Sweden collected the Blissymbols that could be useful during Covid19. They appear in the first entry in Blissful Thoughts (April 24, 2020)
On July 1, 2020, Judy Wine wrote and asked if we had a Blissymbol for “social distancing”.
I wrote back and shared Wern’s work. Judy reminded me that she needed the elements reversed.
With the help of Bliss Online, I was able to send Judy the symbol in its Hebrew form.
It has been quite a learning experience, hosting our recent Bliss meetings on zoom!
I am including in this blog the link to a short video clip from our April 24, 2020 meeting and the “CHAT" from our June 25 meeting. Our conversation ranges from trouble shooting in using zoom, to checking out new Bliss-words, to sharing news. I hope, as time progresses, and we gain more experience with zoom, that we will devote more time to news and learning Bliss!
We had a guest at our April meeting - Lynnette Norris, and we watched a video together that she had shared. It showed young children who had severe hearing losses, as they HEARD for the first time! Exciting! It made us think of what it was like, to COMMUNICATE for the first time!
At our June meeting, we shared memories of events in our childhood. Nice to reminisce together!
I hope this blog will be used for lots of reminiscing. I invite our Bliss alumni and friends to send me news or ideas that they would like to share. Blissymbols suggestions or requests are always welcome as well! I will see that they are placed in our “Blissful Thoughts” Blog.
Remember…..
Shirley
June 25 CHAT
See Below:
Be patient as you read!!
Lots of time had to be spent on technical complications!
We will get better!!!
3:09:40 From Julie Millar : hi
13:09:52 From Russell : Hi!
13:12:31 From Russell to Shirley McNaughton (Privately) : Are you using gallery view?
13:12:47 From Russell to Shirley McNaughton (Privately) : We can't hear you right now
13:13:01 From Russell to Shirley McNaughton (Privately) : Still not
13:13:22 From Russell to Shirley McNaughton (Privately) : Notice the highlight is going back and forth from Elaine to Silvano
13:14:15 From ELAINE : trying fix my cap
13:14:48 From Shirley McNaughton to Russell (Privately) : I will take off my head sets and try the other way. I can hear Russell and rebecca
13:15:20 From Frances Brown : hi I don’t have sound again today Fran
13:17:00 From Russell to Shirley McNaughton (Privately) : I'll try to help Fran with her sound
13:20:13 From Frances Brown : yes to Rebecca. Russell I only have an IPad not a computer Fran
13:55:38 From Julie Millar : Samantha agrees,it's because it is funny
13:55:42 From ELAINE : i was 15
13:56:17 From Russell : Because Elaine really loves jello?
13:56:19 From Carolyn : it is real to her
14:01:18 From Carolyn : I remember my dog Brutus who licked my face to kiss me. I think I was around 6 when we got him
14:01:43 From Rebecca Chan : update....Fran has video now but still no audio. so she will use chat for now
14:02:02 From ELAINE : dad came in he gave me a pick ball and doll age 8
14:07:46 From ELAINE : playing ball. at children
14:08:28 From Russell : Maybe a pickleball?
14:09:24 From ELAINE : yes just a ball
14:11:25 From aomalley : sound is cutting out
14:12:07 From aomalley : all I heard was do something?
14:12:45 From Frances Brown : I remember one time when my sister & brother & I got lost on the farm. Mom thought we were outside with Dad & Dad thought we were in the house with Mom until he came in for lunch. They found us when they saw Sportie our dog jumping up & down
14:13:46 From ELAINE : yes
14:15:50 From Russell : Yes
14:16:18 From ELAINE : yes
14:17:01 From Julie Millar : favourite trip I took
14:17:38 From Carolyn : favourite trip also
14:18:45 From Russell to Shirley McNaughton (Privately) : star trek
14:18:58 From Julie Millar : captain kurk
14:19:07 From ELAINE : i had many trips.
14:20:15 From Russell to Shirley McNaughton (Privately) : first time reading? or communicating?
14:20:59 From ELAINE : bud and i had story
14:22:43 From ELAINE : still on
14:26:03 From ELAINE : ok SHIRLEY
14:28:40 From ELAINE : RUSS CAN I CHAT WITH YOU?
14:40:17 From Frances Brown : I finally got the audio.
14:50:50 From Frances Brown : I had to have the test in order to come back to the Baker Centre & I had to be back within 24 hours of getting negative results. Donnas mother can go & visit Donna but she has to stay outside & they talk through the window. If she wants to go in the house she has to be tested every two weeks.
14:54:04 From Russell to Shirley McNaughton (Privately) : Please send it to me
14:55:46 From Rebecca Chan : looks like silva no wants us to see a photo
14:56:10 From Rebecca Chan : they are waving a photo on the screen
14:58:32 From aomalley : We have to say good bye. We have another meeting happening soon and have to get ready. It is our AGM
