Shorthand is a method of writing rapidly, using symbols or letters to represent the sounds of words. In shorthand, a person writes only what he or she actually hears, regardless of the spelling of a word. For example, the word people becomes pepl in shorthand. Other short cuts include using a symbol or a combination of symbols or letters to represent whole words or entire phrases of several words.
Hundreds of shorthand systems have been developed. The Gregg method, developed by the Irish-born educator John R. Gregg in the 1880’s, and the Pitman method, developed by the British schoolmaster Sir Isaac Pitman in the 1830’s, are the best-known systems using symbols. Speedwriting, developed by an American shorthand teacher named Emma Dearborn in the 1920’s, is the most common of the shorthand systems that use longhand letters instead of symbols.
Marcus Tullius Tiro, a secretary to the Roman orator Cicero, is often credited with inventing a shorthand system about 50 B.C. During the A.D. 700’s, the art of shorthand seemed to disappear. It was revived in England in 1588 with the publication of Characterie: An Arte of Shorte, Swifte, and Secrete Writing by Character by Timothy Bright. In 1602, John Willis published The Art of Stenography, the first attempt at a genuine alphabetical system. Pitman’s first shorthand book, published in 1837, brought the skill into worldwide use. Gregg published his book in 1888. Gregg shorthand has been adapted to many languages.
People in the business world used shorthand extensively in the 1800’s and 1900’s to take notes and dictation for letters. Technological changes have diminished the importance of shorthand. Some people still learn the skill, for example, to take notes in classes. Journalists, especially in Europe, sometimes use shorthand to record interviews. Shorthand, using shorthand machines, is still used for court reporting and, sometimes, for transcribing television programming for closed captioning.
