Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Consider decisive factors before choosing a method. There are several systems of shorthand, and they differ from one another.
You need to consider a few different things: How much time do you have to learn the system? How fast do you ultimately want to be able to write? Is there a standard system of shorthand for your profession? Gregg and Pitman have been the leading competing systems in English shorthand since the 19th century, and both have been adapted to several other languages, as well. Gregg Pre-Anniversary and Anniversary refer to the system as outlined in and , respectively.
There is a heavy load of symbols to memorize, but the trade-off is writing over words per minute. New Era Pitman, a streamlined version of the original theory dating back to , is quite complex but also lets you write over words per minute. Also, you need lined paper, since the lines are also part of the system. Go with Gregg Simplified for fast writing and a moderate learning load. Gregg Simplified can still get up to words per minute. This version, introduced by McGraw-Hill in , was the first shorthand intended for business rather than court reporting.
There are significantly fewer things to memorize compared with Gregg Anniversary. Learn Gregg Diamond Jubilee or Pitman if you have less time. With these methods you can still write up to words per minute, but they require a significantly shorter investment of time. Use an alphabetic system if you want a fast, easy learning process. Unlike symbol systems, where lines, curves and circles represent sounds, alphabetic systems are based on the alphabet.
This makes them easier to learn, though you won't be able to achieve the same rapid speeds. Still, a good speedwriter could get up to words per minute.
Choose Teeline Shorthand if you're a journalist. Teeline is a hybrid system largely based on the forms of the alphabet. It is the preferred shorthand theory of the UK's National Council for the Training of Journalists and is taught to journalism majors there. Part 2. Visit your local library or bookstore to locate books on learning shorthand.
Alternatively, you can order books about shorthand online. Advertise your freelance services Find a freelancer Map Edit your listing. Newsrewired October Your take: Is shorthand still a necessary skill? How useful is shorthand in the digital age and do employers favour those with this skill? Posted: 4 August By: Miranda Cortese. Credit: Image from Pixabay. Tags: Click tag to find related articles; click icon for feed reporting feed journalism skills feed shorthand feed.
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It's based on a combination of outlines representing individual letters. Some sounds, usually vowels, are removed to aid speed. For example, the word "father" will involve writing simply a letter "f" and an elongated "t" representing the "ther" sound.
Teeline is now the most popular system in the UK. Formerly, the most heavily used form of shorthand was Pitman, which dates back to the 19th Century. In business, shorthand has traditionally been seen as a secretarial skill, but, according to Sarah Austin, operating director at Page Personnel Secretarial and Business Support, it's becoming more important "at the senior end of the jobs market".
Shorthand can be a tedious skill to learn. It requires practising until a decent word speed and level of accuracy is achieved, which usually takes several months. The initial stage of Teeline training is relatively simple, involving learning the basic letters, with users moving on to extra abbreviations. For instance, the letter "x" on its own can denote the word "emergency" and an "s" on its own can denote the suffix "-shall" or "-cial".
Students learning Teeline often experience the same pattern, improving rapidly before struggling to get past 80 words a minute. This is often referred to as the "80 plateau" and some have suggested it's a barrier because that's about the fastest speed that longhand can be written.
Pitman is said to involve more initial learning, as it includes special "logograms" - short forms - for common words. Alison Berglas, who runs the teaching website Teeline Online, thinks it's "rubbish" to say shorthand is dying.
You don't need to record the whole thing before transcribing it, which is very time-consuming. Shorthand notes can't go wrong, unlike recordings, either. In many respects, Gregg is even more ingenious than the smartpen.
And, although no electronics or gizmos were involved, it was a tremendously powerful and influential technology for nearly years. Gregg is a way of compressing language. You are the machine that does the encoding and decoding. And your brain can do it in real time at very, very high speeds. To understand why, you have to know a little about how it works. Gregg is basically a much simpler and more efficient writing system than longhand English.
This starts with the letters themselves. The Roman alphabet, which we use to write English, is much more complicated than is strictly necessary to distinguish one letter from another. Then, you have to pick up your pen to move to the next letter, an extraneous step that takes up almost as much time as the writing itself. Cursive when was the last time you heard that word? Here's the first paragraph of this article written in shorthand:.
Consonants are either shallow curves or straight lines; vowels are either loops or small hooks. Here, you can see the Gregg letter "b," then "r," and a combination of the two, which would represent "bring" more on that abbreviation in a minute :. The individual strokes of many frequently combined letter pairs are written with a single blended stroke. This simplicity of design—the absence of superfluous strokes—accounts for about 10 percent of the speed of Gregg. But the biggest impact from Gregg shorthand comes from its systematic approach to abbreviation.
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