CHAPTER III.

MODES OF ABBREVIATION.

In addition to the various contrivances we have mentioned for the purpose of facilitating the writing, all experienced reporters adopt other modes of contraction, without which it would be impossible for them to follow a rapid and impassioned speaker. These abbreviations should only be employed by proficients in the art, or by those who have made considerable progress in it, because legibility is the first object to be gained; expedition the second. Contractions are, however, indispensably necessary, and we therefore submit the following rules for the guidance of the young stenographist, leaving him to introduce others as occasion may require :

These are too plain to require

1. All the usual abbreviations in long hand must be observed, as M.D. for doctor of medicine, M.A. for master of arts, Rev. for reverend, Mr., Mrs., &c. &c. further exemplication, it being obvious that if such abbreviations are understood in long hand they must be equally so in short hand.

2. Where there is a great dependence between the parts of a sentence, the initial letter will be sufficient, as L. is the capital of G.B.; the son of our beloved Q. is styled P. of W. No difficulty can arise from the extensive introduction of this mode of contraction.

3. The terminations, ness, less, ing, able, ible, oble, and uble may be omitted and yet no ambiguity ensue; as his faithfulis from everlast to everlast.

4. Some words may be contracted by giving only their roots. As an instance of this we may refer to the words reason, suffice, and observe, “it being suffic— clear to any reason— man that this is all suffic- to express with all reason—, and in full suffic- the whole of the ramifications of the root; suffice it to say, we trust we are suffic- understood, and that we cannot reason― expect to meet with any reason- objections to our observ." A rule somewhat similar to this is inculcated in the works of Byrom and Mavor, but it has not generally obtained amongst modern authors, although in common use by first-rate professional stenographists.

5. There are several words which may be safely omitted when further contraction is absolutely requisite—such are the indefinite and definite articles a, an, and the; the conjunction and; the prepositions of, for, and from; and some adverbs and adjectives where the sense of the passage will manifestly disclose them. The words omitted depend on the exigency of the case, and therefore each practitioner must determine when this course is to be adopted. If due discretion be used in this matter, the dependence of one word upon another in our language will enable him to ascertain the missing words. Connection, which has been not inaptly termed the master-key to the art, will at once bring the perfect sentence to the writer's memory. An exemplification of this rule is given in Plate VII, to which allusion is hereafter made; and by the illustration there afforded, we apprehend every intelligent student will be convinced that its adoption is easy and safe.

6. The endings eth and est in the second and third persons of verbs may be omitted, as the pronoun will show in each case what is the grammatical termination.

7. Words repeated in oral addresses may be omitted in stenographic notes, a caret being substituted for such word or words, or a small hiatus left. "The Beatitudes" will afford a

striking illustration of this rule :-" Blessed are the poor in

spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven A are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." The omission is at once apparent. Some further examples will be found in the extract from a sermon delivered by the Rev. James Parsons, which is given for the express purpose of exemplifying the various modes of contraction that may be adopted for gaining in swiftness without losing in perspicuity. The practice of underlining the words reiterated as recommended by some of the old authors, and revived by Harding, is useless, unsightly, and a great hindrance to the writing. It should in no case be adopted by those who would keep pace with an orator.

8. When known passages are delivered, or those to which reference may subsequently be made, they should not be written, but the sign used for et cetera substituted. An opinion sometimes prevails that the additional practice afforded by writing such sentences is valuable-this is a mistake; by omitting them the writer relieves himself for a moment, and is enabled to re-commence with the speaker. If the passage be long, he may occupy the vacant time by affixing vowels to some of the most difficult of the preceding words.

9. Words of unusual length, and not easily formed by the alphabetical characters, may by expressed by their initial letters in long hand. The very fact that these are difficult of formation renders the plan here suggested more advisable, inasmuch as the words intended are thereby so deeply impressed on the memory, that if the notes are shortly afterwards transcribed those words will at once suggest themselves to the mind; if the notes are intended for future reference, this method of abbreviation cannot be so safely adopted. It would be easy to multiply illustrations of this rule, but every intelligent pupil can make the experiment himself, and thus judge of its value. All leading words or remarkable expressions in a discourse may be

thus represented, especially after they have once been written in stenographic characters. Let not the student avoid adopting initial consonants from any idea that it is unscientific; if the mode recommended saves time, whilst it does not diminish the legibility of the writing, it accomplishes the object required, and is infinitely better than the use of shapeless and numberless arbitrary figures, or the adoption of short-hand initials, with commas and dots placed in a variety of positions, for the purpose of indicating whether the word intended be a substantive, adjective, verb, or participle. It imposes no tax on the memory, and is at once simple and practicable.

These short and easy rules are all that we deem requisite to lay down, and we are convinced that, if thoroughly studied and properly attended to, they will secure their desired end.

RECAPITULATION AND GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. We have now entered with sufficient minuteness into the various portions of the study of short-hand, which it is necessary to know; but for the purpose of impressing the mind of the reader with the observations which have been made, and the rules which have been stated, a brief recapitulation (interspersed with additional explanatory and illustrative remarks,) will not be out of place. We shall endeavour thus to comprize the leading features of Stenography in general, and this system in particular, in as narrow a compass as possible.

We have stated that all intermediate vowels and consonants, not sounded, must be omitted; this has been done in the examples hereafter given, and some of the final vowels have also been left out, where the sound or appearance of the word rendered this course safe and expedient. We have asserted that for any system of the art to be practical, the simplest sounds of the language must be denoted by the shortest and simplest marks, that those marks which are the briefest must

be assigned to letters of most frequent occurrence, and that the letters most usually combined in pronunciation, ought to be denoted by the marks most easily joined in writing; and we have endeavoured to carry out these principles in the selection and arrangement of the alphabetical characters. We have also adopted these characters for the expression of common words, and prepositional parts of leading words which are long and complex; by the adoption of the former plan, we have a number of words used in every sentence expressed by a single and simple mark-in the latter case, the leading consonant used to designate a preposition, being placed above the ordinary writing, adds alike to the facility of writing and ease in deciphering. The alphabetical signs have been discarded as terminations, and other simple marks have been selected, which are chiefly connected with the words of which they form part, and in the use of which no difficulty can be experienced. In addition to the systematic tables for securing alike brevity and regularity, a number of arbitrary characters are inserted, which may be increased at pleasure, for the purpose of aiding the ordinary rules of abbreviation. It is essential, however, that those who would acquire skill sufficient to take down, literally, speeches and sermons, should adopt a still more concise method; and on investigation, they will find the statement fully borne out, that however complete the alphabet may be, yet that many compendious applications of it may be obtained, by an enquiry into the nature of our language, and the abbreviations of which it admits. The student who is anxious to excel, will not be satisfied with being only taught how to express the letters of a word by the shortest and easiest strokes, but will also require further instruction how to describe intelligibly words and sentences by as few strokes as possible, and what words he may safely omit; and some suggestions on this branch of the art also, we have afforded.