Re: are we mature for a mnemonic human communication code


"Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1167971329.513391.211580@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Heidi Graw wrote:
"Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1167954553.955462.273870@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Heidi Graw wrote:

When I learned Pitman Shorthand, I thought to myself, "Why are we
still
using the Latin alphabet?" We should get rid of it! There is a far
faster
and efficient way to write stuff down.

Peter wrote:
Shorthand instruction manuals advise you to transcribe your notes
within a day or two, because after that, you will be unable to
interpret them.

Heidi wrote:
Not if you keep to the "standard."

Peter wrote:
Yes, if you keep to the standard. that's why this instruction is
included in lessons from the earliest days.

Heidi wrote:
So, while secretaries tend to develop
their own variations, that only they can read and nobody else, I'm
suggesting one stick to the standard. The symbols I learned over 30
years
ago, remain the same still to this day. Pitman gave the symbols. They
didn't change and those symbols mean something.

Peter wrote:
Why don't you dig out a page of notes from 30 years ago and see if you
can transcribe them accurately?

I wish I still had them. I've moved several times which required I purge a
bunch of stuff.

Peter wrote:
There is far too little redundancy in shorthand to make it a practical
orthography.

And why Pitman rather than Gregg?

Heidi wrote:
Pitman was what I was taught in High School.

Peter wrote:
In either Britain or New York City?

At Richmond Senior High, Richmond, BC, Canada.

In grade 11, they offered Pitman Shorthand. I took that course and by the
time I was in grade 12, I was so proficient at it that I used Pitman for all
my school notes.

Prior to learning Pitman, I used to scribble out notes that involved no
particular system. No-one but I could read my notes, but these ones I did
have to rewrite properly once I got home because each day's notes were
always written somewhat differently. I found that proper handwriting was too
copious to deal with while trying to listen to the teacher and write notes
about what was being said. Learning shorthand was a huge time saver for me.
I only needed to write the stuff down once while I was still in class. They
were clear and consistent enough that I could use those notes to study for
tests later. Plus, I used less paper, thinner note- books to lug around and
much much less homework, but with access to considerably more
information...I could get *all* the words the teachers said in the way of
further explanations than what was in those textbooks!


Peter wrote:
The biggest advantage of Gregg over Pitman is that it doesn't use
lineweight as a distinctive feature. And it's also easier to write
because it's more cursive -- Gregg put years as a hobbyist into
figuring out which combinations ought to be given the most fluently
written shapes.

Sounds good. However, at this time in my life, I don't need shorthand
anymore. I don't have a boss who dictates to me! Plus, I'm not going to
school. However, I did find this skill enormously useful when I needed it.
I wish they would have offered it much earlier in my schooling...starting
right from elementary school. The heaps of hours I could have saved during
grades 8 to 11 would have been phenomenal. Ah well...

Heidi


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