Shorthand English Junior Speed Book Pdf

[Dimple Belousson]

Greggshorthand is a system of shorthand developed by John Robert Gregg in 1888. Distinguished by its phonemic basis, the system prioritizes the sounds of speech over traditional English spelling, enabling rapid writing by employing elliptical figures and lines that bisect them. Gregg shorthand's design facilitates smooth, cursive strokes without the angular outlines characteristic of earlier systems like Duployan shorthand, thereby enhancing writing speed and legibility.

Over the years, Gregg shorthand has undergone several revisions, each aimed at simplifying the system and increasing its speed and efficiency. These versions range from the Pre-Anniversary editions to the more recent Centennial version, with each adaptation maintaining the core principles while introducing modifications to suit varying needs and preferences.

Despite the advent of modern recording and dictation technologies, Gregg shorthand remains a valuable skill, particularly in fields requiring fast, accurate note-taking, such as journalism and court reporting. Its efficiency, once mastered, allows for speeds upwards of 280 words per minute, demonstrating its potential as a powerful tool for rapid written communication. The system's adaptability to both right- and left-handed writers further underscores its versatility and enduring relevance in the digital age.

Gregg shorthand, invented by John Robert Gregg in 1888, is a form of shorthand that, like cursive longhand, primarily uses elliptical figures and lines that bisect them.[1] The advent of dictation machines, shorthand machines, handheld tape recorders, digital voice recorders, voice recording applications on smartphones, and the trend of executives drafting their own letters on personal computers has led to a gradual decline in shorthand usage in business and reporting contexts.[2]

Gregg shorthand is often compared with Pitman shorthand due to their significant dominance over other English shorthand systems. While Pitman shorthand differentiates between similar sounds through line thickness and position,[3] Gregg shorthand maintains uniform line thickness and uses stroke length to distinguish between sounds.[4]

Initially, John Robert Gregg taught an adaptation of Duployan shorthand for English, a system that was predominant in France and characterized by uniform stroke thickness and attached vowel representation.[5] However, he found the angular outlines of Duployan-based systems to be detrimental to speed.[6]

Gregg shorthand is distinguished by its cursive strokes that blend smoothly, avoiding sharp angles, and its symbols are specifically designed for English, offering a better fit than the Duployan system. For example, Gregg shorthand has a unique symbol for the "th" sound (/θ/ and //), in contrast to Duployan systems, which use a dotted "t," resulting in slower writing.[7]

Many of the letters shown are also brief forms, or standard abbreviations for the most common words for increased speed in writing.[12] For instance, instead of writing kan for "can", the Gregg stenographer just writes k.[4] These brief forms are shown on the adjacent image. There are several others not shown, however. For instance, "please" is written in Simplified and before as simply pl,[13] and "govern" as gv.[14]

Phrasing is another mechanism for increasing the speed of shorthand writing. Based on the notion that lifting the pen between words would have a heavy speed cost, phrasing is the combination of several smaller distinct forms into one outline.[15] For example, "it may be that the" can be written in one outline, "(tm)ab(th)a(th)".[16] "I have not been able" would be written, "avnba" (note that to the eye of the reader this phrase written in shorthand looks like "I-have-not-been-able", and so phrasing is far more legible than a longhand explanation of the principle may lead one to believe).

Due to the simple alphabet, Gregg shorthand is very fast in writing; however, it takes a great deal of practice to master it. Speeds of 280 WPM (where a word is 1.4 syllables) have been reached with this system before, and those notes are still legible to others who know the system.[24]

Throughout its history, different forms of Gregg shorthand have been published. All the versions use the same alphabet and basic principles, but they differ in degrees of abbreviation and, as a result, speed. The 1916 version is generally the fastest and most abbreviated version. Series 90 Gregg has the smallest degree of abbreviation, but it is also generally the slowest standard version of Gregg. Though each version differs in its level of abbreviation, most versions have expert and reporting versions for writers who desire more shortcuts.

Many versions of this system were published.[26][27][28][29][30][31][32] Several of these versions were given names: Anniversary (published in 1929), Gregg Shorthand Simplified (1949), Diamond Jubilee (1963), and Series 90 (1978). The last version was Centennial, published in 1988.[33] Versions published before 1929 are often referred to as Pre-Anniversary. These versions are described below in this article. Besides the main editions, a number of simpler, personal-use editions were published from 1924 to 1968. These included "Greghand" in 1935, and "Notehand" in 1960 and 1968.[34]

Gregg Shorthand was first published in England 1888 by John Robert Gregg under the title Light Line Phonography; however, it was in a very primal stage. Due to its rough-and-ready character and the fact that Pitman shorthand was well established there, it did not gain much success. Five years later, in 1893, a second edition of the manual with an improved version of the system was published in the USA, then in a third edition titled Gregg Shorthand in 1897. The fourth edition, published in 1902, developed more shortcuts. The fifth edition, published in 1916, is the version most commonly referred to as "Pre-Anniversary" Gregg shorthand; this version has the largest number of brief forms, phrases, and shortcuts.

In 1929 another version of Gregg shorthand was published. This system reduced the memory load on its learners by decreasing the number of brief forms and removing uncommon prefixes. It was intended to have been published in 1928 on the 40th anniversary of the system, but it was published a year afterward due to a delay in its production.

Published in 1988, this is the most recent series of Gregg shorthand. It was the only version since the Pre-Anniversary edition of 1916 to increase the complexity of the system from the previous one, having 132 brief forms.

The above versions of Gregg shorthand were marketed for professional use, such as business and court reporting. Gregg Shorthand Junior Manual, designed for junior high school students, was published in 1927 and 1929. Greghand, A Simple Phonetic Writing for Everyday Use by Everyone was published as a pamphlet in 1935. The 1960 and 1968 editions of Gregg Notehand focused on how to take effective classroom and personal notes using a simple form of Gregg shorthand.

Statement of Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to ascertain the value of the training received in the one-year shorthand program at the Cedar City High School, Cedar City, Utah, as indicated by the graduates of the program; and (2) to suggest ways in which the Cedar City High School business education department may improve the curricula insofar as the one-year shorthand program is concerned.

Methods and Sources Used: A follow-up study in the form of a survey was made of the graduates of Cedar City High School who participated in the one-year shorthand program. Permission to perform the study was obtained from the school administration, and names of participants were taken from the school records. A questionnaire containing pertinent information was sent to each graduate participating in the program during the years 1959-1960 and 1965-1966. The responses of each were compiled as a part of this thesis.

Summary of Findings: After graduating from the vocational shorthand program, students are finding jobs which require little or no shorthand skill. With 29 out of 76 graduates finding employment in which they can use their shorthand skill, a great deal of information and sources need to be made available to students concerning shorthand job opportunities.

Thirty of the graduates made an effort to strengthen their shorthand skills in business college, junior college, and university programs. Sixty-two (72 per cent) of the responding graduates indicated a lower ability level in shorthand than they had attained in high school. Students may not be aware of the educational opportunities available in the community in which they can refresh their shorthand skills.

The stenographic office practice course is not used to provide practice in dictation and transcription. Sixty per cent of the graduates were allowed to skip this valuable part of the course in which reinforcement of shorthand skills can be accomplished. Evidently, students would rather take other courses in the school curriculum than continue with the advised shorthand program.

Students do not seem to be developing high rates of transcription speeds because of the limited time available in which the skill is taught, learned, and developed. Evidently dictation and transcription skills are taught and learned as separate activities instead of as a fusion of both. The low proficiency demonstrated in transcription activities (18 to 25 words a minute ) may indicate the need for a fused program.

On June 4, 1957, the parties entered into a property settlement agreement, among other things, dividing the community property, providing for the custody and support of two minor children, and fixing the amount of support, maintenance and alimony for plaintiff wife in an amount equal to 35 per cent of defendant's gross income, payable monthly (a minimum of $250 and a maximum of $700 per month), to continue "until the wife remarries, or until the death of either party hereto, or until further order of the Court." On July 31, 1957, an interlocutory judgment of divorce was entered approving, but not incorporating therein, the property settlement agreement; the judgment provides for custody and support of two minors, age 20 and 16, alimony, attorneys' fees and sale of the family home and division of the proceeds. The language of the support provisions of the property settlement agreement was carried over into the interlocutory decree, and the court fixed the amount of alimony "equal to 35 per cent of his (defendant's) gross income, payable monthly (a minimum of $250 and maximum amount of $700 per month) ... continuing until the plaintiff remarries, or until the death of either of the parties hereto, or until further order of Court." On April 26, 1963, defendant, by order to show cause, sought to modify the alimony provision to change the monthly payments to a fixed sum of $300 per month on the ground that conditions for both parties had changed. Appeal is taken by plaintiff from the order allowing the modification.

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