At my Gregg site, http://gregg.angelfishy.net/, I have scanned the book, 5,000 Most-Used Shorthand Forms, which is like a more concise dictionary of Anniversary Gregg Shorthand than the Dictionary.
Also, I have posted the notes of a 1940’s Surrogate Court Reporter, Sklarew, which are in heavily abbreviated Gregg Shorthand. With that is its transcription.
Also, I have posted Charles Swem’s article on the use of shortcuts in Gregg Shorthand. It features many valuable curtailling principles and a few examples of each. They are great, like “complained of pain the leg” is just “kpal”. Neat stuff.
Check it out!
Very useful! Your site has really filled out; a valuable resource for the web. Thanks!
Thank you for the 5,000 most commonly used forms! Actually i've been trying to figure out how to write "walk" forever and this gave me the outline! LOL. Also I noticed that at the bottom of the shortcuts article it has an example of some that someone uses in his line of work, and having a key (for yourself or others now and in years to come) is a great idea. Debbi
Thanks a lot Andrew. The 5,000 words book is excellent.
I have updated it again. Now, there are sections for each of the series of Gregg Shorthand, including a description of each and a brief form list for most of them (including Centennial!)
Also, I have added a few speed pointers to its respective page.
Good job, Andrew. If you need the list of brief forms for Pre-Anniversary and for Series 90, let me know.
I would love the list to Series 90. 😀
I have literature on the second edition of shorthand (Pre-Anniversary), but I do not believe brief forms are all that prominent. They are just word signs mixed in with phrases.
I have uploaded two files in the Documents section with the two lists. The brief forms listed in pre-anniversary (or "wordsigns") correspond to the 1916 version of the manual. There were two changes before the publication of the anniversary version, and I listed those as well.
I have updated again! The site now contains the entire 1916 Gregg Shorthand Manual (Pre-Anniversary). Also, I have added the information that Chuck gave (the two Brief Form lists). Tell me what you think! 🙂
The Penmanship in that book isn't as good as Richmond's or Rader's from Anniversary and Simplified, respectively. If you look closely, you will see how the writer fails to use the get-away stroke. 🙂 The reversed circle to indicate r is actually pretty easy and much better looking and easier to write than the r curve. But do not worry; the reversed vowel principle is not present in Simplified and the later ones.
Sweet! Another book in my library that I didn't have to buy. I noticed the reversed circle for "r" principle; wow, hard. I hope that one is not coming up in my Simplified manual (that's right, I still haven't finished it). I like the look of a page of (Pre)Anniversary Gregg. The outlines are more stylized looking than Simplified. Thanks again, Andrew.
I like the idea of the reversed loop for R/L. It's one of those things that really seems to flow and "make sense" like the RT and the "wh," "aw," and "awh" combinations : ) But I don't know how well I'm going to incorperate it into my shorthand when I eventually finish the simplified and move backwards to (pre)Ann stuff. It seems like something that's a picturesque and lovely idea, but difficult and awkward in practice. Like is it "ate" or "shale?" I mean…I ate dead cow yesturday – or – I shale dead cow yesturday! You can see the drastic confusion this can lead to! I don't want to shale dead cow…but eating can be ok (even though I've given up dark meat except when it's fresh and cooked in front of my own eyes (BBQ, or maybe even a nice steak/rib house)) Anyways, thanks for the great updates! ./[tyler]
I don't think L was usually abbreviated with the reversed e very commonly. I saw it used for deal, still, mail, mile, etc., but I don't think it was just used on the fly for new words. But to not confuse ate and share, you would just have to be well trained to make it at the right angle and always use the "get-away" stroke. (Since the t in ate would taper away and the sh in share would start with a wide spot).
You are correct. It is only used for the brief forms deal, mail, mile, still, till, and tell.
All right, I have, for the most part, finished the HTML-ization of the Anniversary Manual. It is navigable on the new right navigational bar. I still have to work on the later transcriptions. Often, I run into words that aren't so easy to fill in. "nd-r-e" has stumped me at the bottom of paragraph 177. I also have to finish the index. Hopefully, it is a decent addition to the site.
It looks very nice. The nd – r -e outline is for "entry". Beats me why they decided to write it that way, and not "n above line – e" …
Correct. The dictionary even says it.
Often in the transcription process, the archaic syntax and lack of punctuation make it difficult.
I have uploaded the lovely book, Fundamental Drills in Gregg Shorthand.
His highly abbreviated shorthand forms and the extensive use of phrasing are typical of court reporting and of Congressional reporting. Brian
Wow! The penmanship in Fundamental Drills is perfectly regular. Nice to look at such stylized writing. ___________________ Praise the Lord, I saw the light line!
Cool, more practice material for Anniversary learners. Thanks. Priscilla
Okay, I have added another piece of literature to the site.
This book is not a Gregg textbook, but is rather a very detailed explanation of all the principles of the system as compared to the other systems of that day. It is in PDF format and probably has a few mistakes, as I converted it to a searchable text.
The book was copyright 1923.
Wow, Andrew. That was very nice.
I think one needs to take each manual in its (Gregg) historical context. Each of the presimplified manuals were in use for odd-teen years when stenography was at its highest use. The most famous speed contests were held preanniversary and the use of the vowel minus R ( the misnamed reversed R) was used. Believe it or not, it lends itself to abbreviation and phrasing better than the common R. The same can be said for the vowel minus L. The extensive list of prefixes and suffixes omitted from the Simplified and later additions do not require great mental gymnastics and are quite useful for abbeviation and phrasing as well. Most if not all of us are learning shorthand at our own paces not in the confines of a school semester and without the pressures of grading and job competition. We can all surmount the mental hurdles for the reward that these rich resources can provide for us. My personal preference is to learn and use all of the gifts that Gregg gave us and in note taking to use whatever comes most automatically. DOC tthat
For those of us who are not familiar with Presimplified, can you give examples of the minus R and minus L? Tom
Okay I'm lost (again) and can't find it. What's it called? Thanks. Debbi
The book is located at the top of the left navigation bar, "Basic Principles of Gregg". 🙂
All that principle is is writing the vowel and not the r following it. For instance, dare is written d-a, and the a is written as if an r will follow. That is, the a is on the left side of the d, rather than the right. The same holds true for a few select words for l. Words like deal and still are written d-e and s-t-e, with the e on the opposite side. Check out this page for information and image examples of the principle: http://n.1asphost.com/greggshorthand/anunit08.shtml
I see. Instead of "art" being written out as "a-r-t", as it is in DJS, it is abbreviated to "a-t" minus the "r" but with the "a" circle going counterclock wise as though the "r" would have been there. That would allow you to abbreviate "r" and "l" words when those consonants were proceeded by the "a" and "e" vowels. This would allert the trained eye in reading over the transcript that this was an abbreviated word with the "r" or "l" missing. Neat. Thanks Danger Arranger. Tom
I have uploaded the German Adaptation of Gregg Shorthand to my site. It can be accessed on the left navigational bar under "German Gregg".
—Andw. Owen
Awesome job, Andrew. I'm truly impressed.
I have added the Diamond Jubilee Expert Brief forms. It has lots of lovely forms that would aid any DJ writer. 🙂
I have revised some information on the series, particularly the way in which they are numbered. I figured out that the anniversary series wasn't the third edition, but the sixth!
—Andw. Owen
I have added the manual to the Gregg Shorthand adapted to the Esperanto language. It is in PDF format.
On the Fundamental drills how much is usable for the DJS? I have just started and am wondering. I have read some of it and is looks the same, but I haven't read all of it to know.
It would be of use in DJS probably for the first five exercises. Remember that DJS is not as abbreviated as Anniversary Gregg, so you would see that if you keep going on with the exercises from the Fundamental Drills book, it will diverge at some point from your DJS textbook and create confusion. If you decided to go DJS, learn it well from the book.
I have completely converted the Esperanto PDF into HTML. I took Mrs. Richmond's handwriting from the 5000-most-used-forms book, and mixed them into Esperanto outlines. This comes up to 532 images! Anyway, I hope that it is much more legible and accessible now than before.
Also, check out the new logo I have for Esperanto Gregg Shorthand at the bottom of the main page! I mixed the classic Esperanto symbol, the green star, with the Gregg double-ellipse. Cool, huh? 🙂
—Andrew Owen
Here I thought I was about the only Esperanto enthusiast who is also into Gregg shorthand! Thanks for all the work you did on that…I'm sure it was quite a task. You've done a fantastic service to both movements. I am a high school Spanish teacher. At the beginning of the year, I always tell me new classes about my hobbies and interests (as a means of self-introduction), and it simply amazes me to see how many HIGH SCHOOL kids have never heard of Esperanto or Gregg shorthand. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but when I think about how much fun and enrichment I get from both, I can't help but think that a lot of people are missing out. Glad to be a taking part of the efforts to promote both movements. Dankon por via laboro…gxi estas tre bona!
Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2짖/min or less.
Thanks! It is true that many people have not heard of either Gregg Shorthand or Esperanto. This morning, I wrote a short article on Vikipedio on Gregga Stenografio: http://eo.wikipedia.org/Gregga_stenografio . If you catch any of the ample errors in my Esperanto, feel free to edit the page, as is the custom at wikipedia. 🙂
I have also now added printer-friendly versions of the Esperanto adaptation, accessible from the bottom of each page.
If anyone is interested in more information about Esperanto, I'd refer you to the resources available from the Esperanto League for North America at http://www.esperanto-usa.org (especially the very ample book service), and for on-line learning to http://www.lernu.net . The 3-week North American summer Esperanto courses, which have been in Vermont for the past few years, will be relocating to San Diego, CA in 2007. More information at http://www.esperanto.org/nask (about the courses in general; nothing there yet about the 2007 courses at UCSD). Alex
This discussion about Esperanto is interesting.
I wonder if anybody knows anybody who can speak Volapuk?
Anyone who speaks Volapuk? Nope. I do know someone here in the U.S. who has a collection of Volapuk books. There's a set of links about the language at http://www.kafejo.com/lingvoj/auxlangs/vo/index.htm . (For anyone who's in the dark, Volapuk (there should be an umlaut over the u) was a constructed language developed by a German pastor in the 19th century. It had a period of popularity prior to Esperanto, but it had a complex grammar and was difficult to learn. Information about the language can still be found, but there's no community of speakers/users. I don't know if any kind of shorthand system was ever developed for Volapuk.) Alex
Esperanto. I'm getting old. My fifth grade teacher, Ms. Vallon, insisted that all of her students study Esperanto. I use to have a Czech penpal. I have books on the language, but I haven't use it in years. Do you have any samples of Gregg used for Esperanto. — Vic/San Jose CA
Ah, you are in for a pleasant surprise, friend. The entire Esperanto Gregg manual is available on Andrew Owen's site for only $9.99 a month for three months.
…Just kidding—it's completely free!!!! Enjoy.
http://gregg.angelfishy.net
Hello to Vic in San Jose. You might be pleasantly surprised to know that Mrs. Vallon is still alive and well, and still active in the world of Esperanto speakers. She has moved back to California (was living in Washington state before). I saw her in July. Alex
DangerArranger: Is there any chance you are considering putting up one of the annaversary Gregg Medical manuals, coppyrights allowing? I don't know about anyone else, but I know that I'd be oh-so-greatful. Best regards, PS: I know they're available at abebooks.com
Alex:
Can you email me any information about her? I have been looking for her for years. I went to San Mateo CA where she use to live twice.
She was the teacher that changed may life and gave me a love of language and learning. I can't believe she is still alive.
The best Medical Gregg manual I believe is Effie Smither's Second Edition Gregg Medical Shorthand Manual. It is very valuable if you write medical outlines a lot. However, I believe it to still be under copyright, as its copyright was issued in 1942, and my personal copy of the book was printed in 1948. I currently have no plans of putting the book on the site, but if you can verify for me the legality of doing so, I would be happy to do it. 🙂
—Andrew Owen
New page! I think you will all love this one. It is my analysis of Dupraw's super-fast take's first-page facsimile from the December, 1924, Gregg Writer. It transcribes Dupraw's outlines in it letter by letter, showing how they form into the intricate phrases present in his expert pre-anniversary court-reporting Gregg shorthand. The specimen is quite nice. Definitely check it out. It is at http://gregg.angelfishy.net/repnotb3.shtml
Enjoy!
Quite a "tour de force", Andrew! Great job. I'm curious–does the December 1924 Gregg Writer (I don't happen to have a copy at hand) have a transcription, or did you have to decipher that yourself? It's very interesting to see it analyzed in your section-by-section format. Great idea. Alex
The issue had a transcription. I just took that transcription and showed how each outline worked towards it. Lots of good phrasing and abbreviating principles in there, like for the word "fact" being a disjoined f to the previous stroke. Fun stuff.
Andrew,
It's a great thing what you posted in your site.
I hope this sample isn't the last, I understand, you did a great job with the original message and the explanation of those sentences in shorthand.
Really, that shows how to adecuate the message in strokes that permit a fine transcription (What's your name? = otuna) Awesome!!!!!
Please, keep on posting such gems.
VALO
I am wondering if you have access to scan in the Anniversary edition of the Taquigrafia Gregg? I'm not sure how you do that–I mean if someone could make it available or something. From looking at this message board it seems that others would be interested–and those ebay and amazon, abe book prices are rather high on that item. (Currently, they are starting around $40.+) I don't think it's that rare. I eventually bought at least one copy of most of the books on your website–when the price is reasonable. It might encourage those sellers come up with some more reasonable prices. P
hey there: … do you by the way know something about +czech shorthand+ called +kofranek+ or something like that. tks for adv. (danielsundt)
Nope, but it is not Gregg's phonography, so I admit it doesn't wholly interest me. 🙂
—Andrew
hey there: …you were busy with esperanto and had a czech friend. may be you could tell me something about the czech shorthand (kofranec) tks in adv. (danielsundt)
addition: msg (czech shorthand/kofranec)sent at 16.30 cest was especially meant for vincere3 tks.
I added a couple of things. I added a new judge's charge from 1913 and transcript, using nifty reporting-style Gregg in much more legible penmanship than Dupraw's. I have the plates on the left, and the transcript picking up where each sentence begins beside it on the right.
I also added a graphic on the index page, but that is mostly just aesthetic.
—Andrew
Very nice, Andrew. Your pages are amazing. It's hard for me to believe you've pulled all that information together the way you have. What was your source for the judge's charge? And do you know the circumstances of the photo? Who is Dr. Gregg with and where are they? Alex
Check out the ALT text of the image (in firefox, by checking the properties, in IE by rolling your cursor over it). That was when Gregg visited Atlanta, GA, for something. He posed outside for a paper or something.
That judge's charge was from a speed contest many moons ago, I believe from the NSRA. It has some great reporting shortcuts in it. It is from the Gregg Writer in December of 1927 and January of 1928.
It uses that now obsolete shortcut, "Gentlemen of the Jury," since the justice system now almost invariably includes more than one gender in a jury. I would write l-a-jnt-j for Ladies and gentlemen of the jury.
I love these shortcuts. With them, all those words fit into a heck of a lot less shorthand. Like "on account of the negligence" being "o-n-a-k / n" or "your verdict should be for the defendant" being "u-v-d-sh-d-b / d." These phrases are insane. 🙂
—Andrew
I wrote a Hopkins poem in shorthand for reading pleasure. It is brief, but nice. It is under Anniversary, "Hopkins Poetry."
—Andrew