Shorthand

[tawanda]

I have taught myself shorthand for taking lecture notes at university. I experimented with pitman and gregg but found them unnecessarily complex. The best method for me by far, was Teeline shorthand. Its taught on journalism courses here in the UK, in many educational faciliites.

The concept is so simple and rather like ancient Greek in that the first thing they teach is to remove unnecessary vowels, double letters etc, and then learn signs for common endings (eg -tion) and so on. There is a short passage in the intro in my Teeline book, whch has all the vowels and surplus removed, and it can still be easily read. Where outlines for similar words look the same (eg bee, be) the context always clarifies it.

I picked it up really quickly, and could take notes in a mixture of long and shorthand in under a week! The great thing is you can take it as far as you like. I didn't complete the book (did about two thirds) because I didn't need to get too proffesional about it.

Also, once you learn the principals, you can make signs for words yourself, as long as you can remember them, that is! I have a Teeline dictionary and put my own words in the back, just in case I come to read something back in 6 months and have forgotten what it was.

 

Hope this helps

 

Tawanda

[flaviano]

I've just joined the forum and I got interested in fountain pens because of Pitman shorthand which I am learning.

Are you teaching yourself from the books, or did you find a course or a tutor? I'm interested in learning Pitman for job purposes, and have an Esterbrook fitted with a 9128. Mostly I want to use Pitman instead of a DVR for making conference notes and doing interviews.

 

I am just teaching myself. This is actually my second go-round. The first time around I didn't learn properly because I held the pen with too much tension. I think you have to hold the pen very lightly and use the wrist and the whole arm (and not the fingers very much) to move the pen, just as the old Copperplate handwriting manuals teach.

 

Here are the four books I recommend:

 

1. Basic Course in Pitman Shorthand. New Era Edition. Pitman Publishing, New York.

 

2. Gilson, Goodwin and Morris Mellinger. 1965. Developing Shorthand Skills. Pitman Publishing, New York.

 

3. Smith, Emily. 1980. The New Phonographic Phrase Book. Pitman Publishing, London.

 

4. Student's Shorthand Dictionary and Phrase Book. Isaac Pitman & Sons, Toronto.

 

The "standard" textbook was Pitman's Shorthand Instructor, but pedagogically it is terrible (teaches lots of rare words). The book I mention in (1) above is better because you learn the 700 most common words in English first. The book in 2 then helps you to expand your vocabulary. Actually the book in 2 is supposed to accompany a revision of the book in 1, which was called the "New Basic Course in Pitman Shorthand", which I don't own. It could well be better.

 

I record myself with my computer to practice taking "dictation" ... all I can say is that it is not easy and my respect for the people who did it in the old days is immense. Emily Smith, author of book number 3, was the only person in the UK who could take 250 words per minute dictation with Pitman shorthand in 1980. I imagine that there's nobody left now who can write that fast!

 

My understanding is that when journalism schools in Britain still last required shorthand (I don't think they do now), they had switched to Teeline as the most sensible shorthand for reporters' every day needs. Pitman will take about a year to learn well if you practice every day for an hour, I suspect.

[Maria]

Dear BearsPaw,

 

My sister learned Gregg Shorthand in high school (1964-1968). She doesn't remember much now. Gregg Shorthand was on the way out, due to the recording devices available for bosses to read into and the secretary to transcribe and repeat the recorded letter if necessary. I was in 'typing' class in my high school (same one sister graduated from in '68; and no short hand was offered (69-73).

 

Now, if I was to learn short hand, I would want to try my hand at Lloyd's Shorthand; the style of short hand during the Civil War. It would be interesting to read the transcripts as taken by the 'secretaries' of the day and also the "court of inquiries" and " court martial" trials of other cases that have not made it into the "Official Records of the Rebellion." And, to read President Lincoln's personal secretaries' notes before transcribing.

 

Respectfully,

M. E. Wolf

 

Does anyone use shorthand anymore? I found this website, and tried going through the first unit but found it rather confusing. Does anyone know any good online resources or comments in general on learning shorthand?

 

[flaviano]

Now, if I was to learn short hand, I would want to try my hand at Lloyd's Shorthand; the style of short hand during the Civil War. It would be interesting to read the transcripts as taken by the 'secretaries' of the day and also the "court of inquiries" and " court martial" trials of other cases that have not made it into the "Official Records of the Rebellion." And, to read President Lincoln's personal secretaries' notes before transcribing.

 

This link provides some interesting discussion of the history of shorthand and information about Lloyd's Shorthand.

 

http://english.ttu.edu/KAIROS/3.1/features.../shorthand.html

 

Lloyd's shorthand was alphabetic (used letters and omitted most vowels). In this respect it was somewhat like Speedwriting of today, but less developed.

 

[flaviano]

My sister learned Gregg Shorthand in high school (1964-1968). She doesn't remember much now. Gregg Shorthand was on the way out, due to the recording devices available for bosses to read into and the secretary to transcribe and repeat the recorded letter if necessary. I was in 'typing' class in my high school (same one sister graduated from in '68; and no short hand was offered (69-73).

 

One place that shorthand is still taught and used regularly is India. I guess the reason is because labor is cheap and recording devices are not? Since India was formerly part of the British Empire the system taught there is Pitman and the language of transcription is English (still one of the official languages of India).

 

This is a link to an on-line course in Pitman shorthand offered by the Stenographers' Guild in Chennai in Tamil Nadu.

 

http://www.stenold.org/onlineshand.html