French: “Supertick…”

GeneralChristine Ruzik24

”Supertick”

Hello,

a short excerpt from a book about survival in nature. The author, David Manise, talks about his encounter with a tick and is praising its survival skills. Warning: tickbullying…

Edit: corrections done.


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24 comments Add yours

  1. Whoa! There’s French Gregg? How would this even work? I think the title says “Le tick”. Are there any resources to learn French Gregg? I live in a predominantly French speaking city and this would be interesting!

    1. Hello,
      I use the Sénécal manual, the title being exactly “STENOGRAPHIE GREGG” by R.J.SENECAL, a manual based on the Anniversary version.
      There’s also a French version based on DJS, I think. I know less of it.

      1. There were 5 editions published. The original one was written in 1924 by Ernest Farmer. The text was revised in 1931 and in 1939 by R. J. Sénécal, corresponding to the Anniversary edition. Subsequent books corresponding to Simplified (two editions, 1954 and 1961), DJS (two editions, 1966 and 1975) and Series 90 (1982) by Sister Marie Ernestine were written. The Series 90 edition is almost identical to the DJS edition, save for a few words and some endings.

        1. Hiya! To my surprise, I managed to find a pdf online of the Senecal 1939 French Gregg. It’s so similar to English Gregg! May we put these pdfs on this website? It’s a fascinating study material which may be of use to someone.

          1. The copy that is floating around was my original scan that a user, unbeknownst to me, made public after I had given him access. (As a consequence, that user is no longer part of the blog.) The reason I had not made a post of it is that the book is still under copyright. However, if someone is interested, they can contact me.

            1. Oh my! I’m sorry that happened. Thanks for letting me know (and good thing I asked first!). I’ll be sure to do nothing like that, then.

              1. It would be nice if some library could scan these shorthand books and put them on archive.org or openlibrary.org for electronic borrowing. The Library and Archives of Canada (LAC) in Ottawa (the equivalent to the Library of Congress, LOC, here in the US) has many Sténographie Gregg materials that I wish I could scan (as I have done with some shorthand materials from the LOC), or that they make available. I haven’t contacted the LAC to see how to go about getting some scans made. There are other libraries in Canada with Sténographie Gregg materials as well.

    1. It’s nice of you, Carlos. 🙂 I like finding texts that could interest you and transcribe them.

      I keep reading Gregg Shorthand from time to time, of course less assiduously than English-speaking users.

      1. OK, I’m a little rusty in French Anniversary, but here it goes:

        Les tiques sont des acariens. Ce sont aussi des pros de la survie. Elles peuvent vivre plusieurs années sans manger. J’en ai déjà congelée une à −18°C pour la voir ensuite repartir comme si de rien n’était quelques minutes après l’avoir posée sur la table. Énervé, j’ai tenté de l’écraser entre mes doigts – impossible. Entre mes ongles, elle glissait trop. Je l’ai donc jetée dans les toilettes et j’ai tiré la chasse. Confiant. Trois jours plus tard, elle était dans le lavabo de la salle de bains, ayant visiblement remonté patiemment la tuyauterie. En signe de respect, je l’ai finalement remise dans un petit bocal au congélateur !

        I see some little things:

        1. There is no l in table.
        2. chasse: the outline right now reads “charse” because you wrote the a contrary to the rule. But since I know how to say “flush the toilet” in French, I knew what you meant.
        3. There is an e circle missing between the r and the m in remonté (the omission of the e in re- doesn’t apply here because the m is not a downward sign, see paragraph 147).
        4. bocal: I would have written it in full, b – o hook – k – l, as the -cle/-cal abbreviation usually applies only when the ending is a suffix (like in amical). Incidentally, in French Simplified and DJS the word is written in full.

        Very amusing selection!

        1. A perfect transcribe, Carlos. As always…

          Well, if you are rusty at reading French Gregg, I’m rusty at writing:
          — Yes “chasse”… Counter-clockwise movements feel more natural.
          — “Table”, right. Probably, by analogy to “tableau”, I added an “L”.
          — and “remonté and “bocal”. Ok.

          Before I make the corrections, could you, please, tell me if you think
          of another form for “lavabo”, quite difficult to write with all the sounds?
          “L-V-A-B-O”?

          1. Just omit the second a, so the outline becomes l-a-v-b-o hook. In that way, it keeps the root of the word (laver) and eliminates the troublesome circle between opposite descending curves — that’s the way it’s written in Simplified. In DJS, it is written in full, making it harder to write.

  3. It’s interesting how rare the French language materials are. They simply don’t show up on Ebay or other book sites.

    A few years ago I tried to contact the Sisters of St. Anne (SSA) to ask about the work and influence of Soeur Marie-Ernestine. I didn’t get an answer. The good sisters are one of the orders that were involved in the indigenous boarding schools in Canada, so I imagine they have their hands full with other things.

    Here’s the information about her death:

    “Soeur Marie Ernestine s.s.a. À la Maison mère des Soeurs de SainteAnne de Lachine, le 11 novembre 2001, à l’âge de 81 ans, est décédée Soeur Alma Lamoureux, native de Lynn, Massachusetts, E.U., fille de feu Ernest Lamoureux et de feu Georgianna Dion. Elle fit profession le 24 juillet 1940. Elle laisse dans le deuil, outre sa famille religieuse: des neveux et nièces, de nombreux amis et des anciennes élèves. Exposée à la Maison mère des Soeurs de Sainte-Anne 1950, rue Provost, Lachine 745, av. Esther-Blondin (18e ave), Lachine Heures de visites mardi 13 novembre de 14 à 17 h et de 19 à 21 h 30. Célébration de la parole à 19 h 30. Ouverture du salon, le jour des funérailles à 9 h. Les funérailles auront lieu le mercredi 14 novembre, à 10 h 15, en la chapelle de la Maison mère. Inhumation au cimetière de la Congrégation des Soeurs de Sainte-Anne. Prière de ne pas envoyer de fleurs. Direction Alfred Dallaire inc.”

    1. Thank you, Lee. I also can only regret that French material is so rare: it leaves many questions unanswered.
      It gives also the impression that French Gregg never really took hold. We are used nowadays that knowledge is spreading at the speed of the light and people take it as a hobby. In the past, without appropriate channels and strong will, it remains stuck somewhere and disappears.

  4. Hello Christine, it’s very nice to read you again in French Gregg! I had prepared a response in shorthand but the website won’t let me post it here for some reason, despite repeated attempts. Anyway thanks for this really nice text and I hope we get to read more from you soon!

    2. Salut Aymeric ! I had to remove the ability of users to post images before because of spam. However, I can do the posting, so if you have an image you want to share, just let me know. I added your shorthand response.

    3. I reply here not to bother Carlos… I understood everything, although it was a bit difficult sometimes. I suppose it’s an advantage for a Sénécal user to be able to understand easily French DJS.
      Here in Dax, the ticks are supposed to be a thing but I don’t walk much in the woods and the only times I did it, I didn’t meet one…
      Yes, mosquitoes… the plague of summer… If this latter is particularly dry, they shouldn’t be too much a nuisance.

      1. Thank you Carlos and sorry for the inconvenience. I assumed it was again a multiple log-in issue (which I think I am having at the moment anyway) preventing me from posting.

        Christine if you found my text difficult to read at times, it was no doubt because of my sloppy form. I have given up trying to make it more neat because I have realized it is in large part due to my shaky hands (essential tremor), which makes me add hooks where there should be none, flatten my R-L’s / curve my M-N’s, etc. but that’s life 🙂 When I look at my doctor’s penmanship, I’m rather satisfied with what I can do…

        On the other hand I am pleased (and surprised) to find Senecal much easier to read than in the past, in the end it’s a bit like getting used to the abbreviations used by fellow classmates at school.

        1. I’m sorry to hear you have such difficultes, Aymeric…

          For the text, I have one in mind. The style is stunning… alas the subject is mournful. On verra !

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