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Steno Part 4

Geometric shorthand is based on circles and their segments, with characters drawn with geometric precision in all directions, necessitating hand position changes. Gregg shorthand is based on ovals, written with a uniform slope like longhand, not requiring hand position changes. While geometric shorthand is described as rapid drawing, Gregg shorthand is described as rapid writing, with advocates of geometric shorthand recognizing its affinity to drawing over writing.

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63 views

Steno Part 4

Geometric shorthand is based on circles and their segments, with characters drawn with geometric precision in all directions, necessitating hand position changes. Gregg shorthand is based on ovals, written with a uniform slope like longhand, not requiring hand position changes. While geometric shorthand is described as rapid drawing, Gregg shorthand is described as rapid writing, with advocates of geometric shorthand recognizing its affinity to drawing over writing.

Uploaded by

Rosey Dizon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Fundamental Difference The fundamental difference between geometric shorthand and Gregg

Shorthand is this: Geometric shorthand is based on the circle and its segments; Gregg is based on the
ellipse, or oval. As geometric shorthand is based on the circle, its characters are supposed to be drawn
with geometric precision, and are struck in all directions. The characters, being struck in all directions,
necessitate continual change in the position of the hand while writing. As Gregg Shorthand is based on
the ellipse or oval, it is written with a uniform slope, as in longhand. Its characters are, therefore,
familiar and natural to the hand, and like longhand do not require a change in the position of the hand
while writing. When we say, “with a uniform slope as in longhand,” we do not mean any particular
slope; we simply mean that whatever slope is adopted the writing is uniform in slope—not zigzag. This is
understood by all writers of the system, but I consider it advisable to include the statement here, as an
effort is being made to represent us as insisting upon a particular slope. Short-Writing or Short-Drawing?
Geometric shorthand has been described as a rapid drawing of characters, while Gregg Shorthand has
been described as a rapid writing. That the affinity of geometric shorthand to drawing is fully recognized
by the advocates of that style will be clear from the following quotations. Isaac Pitman, in the seventh
edition of his Manual said: ` The student should be careful not to hold the pen as for common writing,
for this position of the hand is adapted for the formation of letters constructed upon a totally different
principle from those of Phonography. The pen should be held loosely in the hand, like a pencil for
drawing, with the nib turned in such a manner that the letter “b” can be struck with ease. a In a series of
articles on “Aids and Hindrances to Shorthand Writing” in Pitman’s Shorthand Weekly, Mr. Alfred
Kingston said: ` I have frequently noticed that the shorthand student skilled in thawing always makes the
best start upon the shorthand alphabet. The student should be encouraged, therefore, to treat the
preliminary work of mastering the simple geometric forms, and especially the curves, as something
really in the nature of a drawing lesson, and to draw them as carefully and accurately as possible at the
start. a Andrew J. Graham, author of the most successful American modification of Pitman’s Shorthand,
in the Introduction to Part Two of his “Standard Phonography,” said: ` The position given to the pen and
hand in backhand writing seems best adapted for the easy and graceful formation of phonographic
characters. The pen should be held very loosely, so that the nib may be readily turned and suited to the
execution of characters made in various directions. ae

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