A shorthand puzzle

[tillypeg]

Spoiler alert - for those readers who are trying to read xinia's example of New Era!  I'm stuck with one outline which appears twice towards the end - any suggestions?  Perhaps an unfamiliar short form?

Every shorthand learner needs to have their own shorthand dictionary but this is not always possible either through unavailability or cost.  The only downloadable dictionary available on the internet is the 1913 centenary version from the Internet Archive.  You cannot use this if you are learning New Era as many of the outlines are different between the two versions.  I have now produced a dictionary update illustrating all the outlines that are different (just over three thousand out of sixty thousand total) which will enable you to make use of the centenary dictionary for your new era studies.  You need to download both the centenary dictionary ? (or acquire a copy of the original book) and my update ? and use them in combination.  Further details and the download links are on my main website.

More please, xinia, this has been good exercise for my sluggish brain cells.

[StanleysChesterton]

I learnt and taught shorthand 30-35 years ago (Pitman 2000) .... and this all looks "very similar", but, as others have said, there are many variations and people will develop their own bits and bobs over time depending on things they usually write.

Also, let's not forget, they spoke differently back then.

If it were, say, a business letter of the 1980s, we'd expect to be looking for "Dear Sirs, Thank you for your letter of ....." and similar, whereas 100 years ago they really did go "all round Will's aunts" to speak in an over-gushing and flowery manner

When trying to unravel the shorthand of others you rely a lot on "guesswork" to gather the gist and then back fill and rework what you first saw/thought... so without context etc it's nigh on impossible unless somebody looking happens to be au fait with that subject/industry/location and spot for themselves a "tasty clue"

[Greensleeves]

Brilliant Greensleeves, I think it is 'needs to have "own" shorthand dictionary etc.'

Thanks Lizzie - I had forgotten that shortform!

[Finley 1]

More please, xinia, this has been good exercise for my sluggish brain cells.

Brilliant, I was very close    we should have more exercises like these ... ha ha..

ANYHOW   it is all on the NET -- I just downloaded that piece..   ~Googled~ 

My wonderful marvellous sister - sadly no longer here, had an IT School and taught Pitmans .. I think the place was taken over ... by someone .. so there are classes still out there. 
Not as usefull now though, as has been said, just as easy to use a 'dictaphone' or spell check..
I worked for the Police for a while as a Secretary, using a Dictaphone ... some of the tapes were scary..   eek  too descriptive.

all a very long time ago.. 
but it does make you feel alive again these memories.

xin

ps ............  eeee my grammar gets worse... ha ha ha ...

[Finley 1]

lets start a new  Post

What I was in my Day - edited by xin  



xin

[Greensleeves]

How about a new thread in TOT called 'The Shorthand Writers' Retreat'.   

[Finley 1]

 

would it be a little place

xin

[Rena]

I'm a late comer to the confession booth. When the piece was first posted I downloaded and swivelled the image about a bit but there's a drawback in that there are scarcely any light and heavy strokes.  I was a shorthand typist to an engineering buyer for ten years in the 1950s-1960s  I even typed up other people's shorthand notes. As others have said, I too developed my own style when I had occasion for its use again in the 1980s.

It's so frustrating not being able to assist.

 

[LizzieW]

It seems Tillypeg has solved the puzzle of why many of us couldn't read the shorthand xinia posted.  It's because it was Pitmans New Era.  Thank goodness, I though my brain had totally given up.