Who invented shorthand?

About Shorthand

The history of shorthand, or tachygraphy, dates to the ancient Greeks and perhaps even earlier. The archaeological record shows that stenographic symbols from Greece have been discovered on the "Acropolis Stone" (c. 350 BCE). As shown below, the marble slab depicts a modified writing system that uses vowels primarily, but also includes certain modifications to denote consonants.



At the time, there was a definite need for this type of modified writing system. For instance according to Legge (2014), "In Ancient Rome, Marcus Tullius Tiro developed the Tironian notes so he could write down Cicero's speeches. It was a form of abbreviated longhand which both Julius Caesar and the Emperor Titus are said to have used" (p. 54).

Other early shorthand systems were comprised of short symbols that were simply segments of letters used in normal writing. By the late 12th century, though, John of Tilbury, a British monk, published the Nova Ars Notaria which provided an abbreviated word system that initiated the transition to other, easier to use, shorthand writing methods that were based on alphabetical symbols.

By the late 16th century, there was growing interest in shorthand in Britain and in 1588, Dr. Timothy Bright published his Characterie; An Arte Of Shorte, Swifte And Secrete Writing By Character, which marked the beginning of the modern era of shorthand. In 1837, Sir Isaac Pitman published Stenographic Soundhand and this stenographic system, along with the Gregg shorthand system developed by John Robert Gregg in 1888 are still being taught around the world (Gregg is what the U.S. Army taught me in 1971).

Court stenographers in 19th century Britain became so proficient in using these systems that they could work in relays, with some stenographers remaining in court taking notes while others transcribed their notes into longhand. This level of expertise is impressive because reading someone else's shorthand notes is challenging under the best circumstances.

The figure below illustrates some examples of Gregg and Pitman shorthand, as well as other, less commonly used methods.



Samuel Pepys recorded his famous diaries in shorthand, and Sir Isaac Newton and President Thomas Jefferson also used shorthand for their journals.

During the early 20th century, simplified versions of these more complicated shorthand methods known as "speedwriting" were introduced which were faster to learn.

Although speech-recognition software has largely eliminated the need for stenography in the workplace, learning shorthand can help you take great notes in class (be sure to transcribe them and type them up as soon as possible). Even if you don't use shorthand, typing your class notes can help reinforce the information and allows you the opportunity to record this information while it is still fresh in your memory.

References

Legge, C. (2014, June 10). Who invented shorthand? Daily Mail (London), 54.