Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 21.djvu/866

Rh 840 SHORTHAND Systems subse- Specimens of Phonography. Corresponding Style. -v V. -- _J_ KEY. If all the feelings of a ^ eloquent speeches which are delivered in the senate, or in those public assem- blies where the people are frequently convened to exercise the birthright of Britons we owe it to shorthand. If new fervour be added to our devotion, and an additional stimulus be imparted to our exertions as Christians, by the eloquent appeals and encouraging statements made at the anniversaries of our various religious societies we owe it to shorthand. If we have an opportunity in interesting judicial cases, of examining the evidence, and learning the pro- ,-s with as much certainty, and nearly as much minuteness, as if we had been present on the occasion we owe it to shorthand. Reporting Style. KEV (the phraseograms being indicated by hyphens). CHARACTERISTICS or THK AGE. The peculiar and distinguishing characteristics of the present-age are- in every respect remarkable. Unquestionably an extraordinary and uni- versal-change has commenced in-the internal as-well-as-the external-world in-the-mind-of-man as- well-as in-the habits of society, the one indeed being-the necessary-consequence of the other. A rational consideration of the circum- stances in-which-mankind are at-present placed must-show-us that influences of the most-important and wonderful character have-been and are operating in- such-a-nmnncr-as-to bring-about if-not-a reformation, a thorough revolution in- the-organization of society. Never in-the-history-of-the-world have benevolent and philanthropic institutions for-the relief of domestic and public affliction ; societies for -the promotion of manufacturing, commercial, and agricultural interests ; associations for-the instruction of the masses, the advancement of literature and science, the development of-true political -principles, for-the extension in-short of-every description of knowledge and-the-bringing-about of-very kind-of reform, been-so numerous, so efficient, and so indefatigable in-their operation as at-the-prescnt-day. Of the numerous systems published since the invention O f phonography the principal are A. M. Bell's Steno- )hon 9 ra P h y (Edinburgh, 1852), Professor J. D. Everett's (London, 1877), Pocknell's Legible Shorthand (London, 1881), and J. M. Sloan's adaptation of the French system of Duploye" (1882). Of these Professor Everett's must be pronounced much the best. The author claims to have adhered to the phonetic principle more strictly than Mr Pitman. Thus he distinguishes the o in home, comb, from that in so, and treats ur, er as a diphthong. The alphabet is very like Mr Pitman's in construction, light and heavy sounds being represented by light and heavy strokes. The chief feature of the system is that all vowels are marked in. This is done by joined signs, by lengthening the preceding consonant, by separating the preceding from the following consonant, by lifting the pen and writing the one consonant attached to the other, and by intersec- tion. Mr Pocknell, in his somewhat bewildering system, seeks (like Mr Melville Bell) to provide a method of indi- cating whether a consonant is preceded or followed by a vowel or vowels. To this end he gives to each consonant three linear signs (two curves and a straight line), the requisite number of signs being made up by using three lengths of stroke. The selection of the right sign is deter- mined by the length and chiss of the words represented. Much energy is devoted to indicate where a vowel stands, but not to what it is. The vowels, when expressed, are disjoined, as in phonography and most systems. Though Mr Bell's too elaborate classification of vowels is adopted, the phonetic method of representing consonants is fre- quently discarded in favour of the alphabetic. Thus, no sign is provided for zli (as in vision), and the barbarous gh (as in bright) is often retained " for the sake of legi- bility." Mr Pocknell goes back to the antiquated device of pictorial and arbitrary signs. The Sloan -Duployan system has been .vigorously propagated ; but it does not provide alphabetic characters for all the vowels and con- sonants in the language, contents itself with representing not actual but "approximate" sounds, does not always indicate the order in which the characters should be read, recommends the frequent omission of consonants and syllables at the " discretion " of the student, avoids angles, and introduces three slopes, instead of one, between the perpendicular and the horizontal, and therefore is not likely to meet with general acceptance. A considerable number of American systems, as well as systems based on Taylor's and Gurney's, were issued dur- ing the early days of the republic. Since the introduction of phonography into the States in 1845, the dissemination of the art has gone steadily forward, and its use since 1880 has been greatly on the increase, shorthand being now taught in a large number of schools. From elaborate statistics given in Mr Rockwell's Circular of Information it appears that during 1882 10,197 persons received in- struction in schools and classes and 2273 by correspond- ence. But these figures probably bear no proportion to the number of persons studying without a teacher. In almost every case phonography, or a modification of it, was selected for instruction. American shorthand societies are very numerous, most of them having been formed since 1880. Two are devoted to the Stolzean system. Of the fourteen shorthand magazines which Mr Rockwell enumerates eleven are phonographic. In nine cases out of ten phonography will be found admirably adapted to the purposes of verbatim reporting. But to be legible it must be written with care. This necessity arises from its brevity and its use of light and heavy, halved and double-length strokes. Hence a clumsy scribe may find a longer system, such as Gurney's, answer his purpose better. A theoretical knowledge of most systems may be gained in a few hours. Pitman's method is not so easily acquired, but an intelligent person can master its details in a few weeks. Shorthand writing is, however, mainly a matter of practice. Few can make any considerable use of it with less than six months' assiduous practice. The average rate of public speaking is very slightly over 120 words a minute. Some speakers average 150. The slowest utterance is now and then exchanged for a rapid flow of words, and 180 or 200 words a minute is no uncommon speed in certain styles of speech such as the conversational, a speed which many persons would never acquire. 1 Most persons of average intelligence may 1 Phenomenal rates of speed are recorded in the Phonetic J< for 1885, p. 338. MrT. A. Reed, the veteran phonographer, had been engaged to report a well-known American divine preaching at West- minster Abbey. The sermon was carefully timed, and the words in the printed report counted. The average came out at 213 words a minute. A photographed specimen page of Mr Reed's notes on this occasion is given in the Reporters' Magazine, September 1885. Aniei sy.ste