Lisa has managed a great synopsis of the history of shorthand. There are a few corrections I would make: As it looks at the contemporary shorthand exclusively from the US perspective her presentation omits to mention Teeline. This is particularly worth a mention as it remains an essential aspect of the journalist profession in the UK and some other ex British Colonies. There are therefore a large proportion of people who use a pen based shorthand who use this method. It is also worth mentioning because it is a hybrid system - reverting primarily to the orthographical alphabet as in earlier methods but also using some phonemic aspects. It therefore shares a combination of a very simplified speed writing with short forms and abbreviated phrases; very much a kin to Gregg’s and Pitman’s. The system shares the ease of learning as most speedwriting systems but can be written much faster. It cannot compete with Greggs or Pitmans for potential speed but actual speeds of 100 and 120 wpm are quite frequently achieved. In fact, at least until very recently, journalists in the UK must pass an exam at 100 wpm before graduating. Incidentally the slide showing the Gregg sample of writing is not Greggs at all. It is actually Teeline.

For more information, I recommend reading: 1. "The Story of British Shorthand" by E.H. Butler (1951). 2. "To Labor Less and Accomplish More Part 1: A Brief History of English Shorthand" by Kenneth Wick (2016)

Thank you

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