The Gregg Group was founded 22 May 2004, prompted by the lack of online shorthand resources. As the primary use for shorthand — business and legal recording — has waned in recent decades, we generally acclaim the skill as a hobby or personal tool. The purpose of the group is to promote the use of Gregg systems of shorthand by providing advice to beginners, support for students, and an association of users of this efficient, attractive, and enjoyable method of writing.
I write essentially DJS, but have borrowed a few features and brief forms from Simplified and earlier. One thing has always puzzled me – I don’t understand the logic behind the outlines for “electrical”. I believe the outlines are:
Simplified – e l / c l
DJS – e l / l
Centennial – e l / l
Why aren’t they all e l / c? Surely a detached “l” means “-lity”.
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"Electric" in Simplified and earlier was written disjoined (e-l)-k. So, for "electrical" you just add the l to the outline. The outline for "electric" was changed in DJS to disjoined (e-l), so again you put an l to make "electrical." Don't look at it as adding a disjoined l, but a disjoined (e-l) with an additional l. Since "electric" has already a k sound, it may be confusing to use another k for the "cal" in "electrical", when an l is just as sufficient.
Thanks for your comments! Although I learned Gregg a long time ago, I am discovering that I didn't learn it thoroughly enough.
I do see where you're coming from, but it still seems inconsistent. (e-l) is also "electr-" and it's used this way in "electronic", "electrician" and "electricity" in both Simplified and DJS. So shouldn't your argument apply to those words, too? I don't think (e-l)-k for "electrical"could be confused for anything else in DJS onwards.
Before "nic", "cian", "city", there is no other k sound other than the one that is already part of the outline disjoined (e-l) for electr-, so a k is not added to the outline (you don't pronounce "electroc-nic", "electric-cian", or "electric-city"). But in "electrical" there is an additional one. So there are two ways of writing it: in Simplified and earlier, you write disjoined (e-l)-k for the "electric" part and add the l, and in DJS and later, you just add the l. I see your point that adding just the k to electr- would be sufficient, but someone may have transcribed the outline as "electric." The l makes the outline distinctive.
The real inconsistency across series came when the outline was changed in DJS to eliminate the "electric" phrasing rule that said that a disjoined (e-l) can be used for the word "electric" as part of a phrase. Without that change in the rule, all of this would be mute.
Ah yes, I understand it better now. Many thanks for taking the time to explain all this.
My speed is really coming on thanks to the reading material and dictation files here! I am very grateful.
You're welcome!
Finally…
Hello,
I just wanted to point out the importance of the baseline to distinguish between a suffix (/l) and « normal » form.
That's all…