I was considering how many ways people use to record their thoughts, from long passages to quick notes. We have longhand, shorthand (stenography), typewritten, digital and recorded voice. Now personally, I use longhand (often illegibly!) and digital, these days. I would use typewritten too, if I had a typewriter available.
When watching TV programmes or movies where a writer is involved, one thing is not infrequent – they have a secretary trained in the art of shorthand. What a wonderful invention! So much recorded with so much economy. But alas, I never had the opportunity to learn any system of shorthand. Or did I?
It struck me, in my pondering, that I had, in fact, learnt a crude form of shorthand quite recently, mainly thanks to my kids. And now, there are those who raise their voices in objection to this new semi-shorthand system, predicting the demise of our language! It is often portrayed as the enemy of good language, an evil infecting all levels of Society. Yet, these paranoid fears were never voiced when shorthand was invented, even when it took the form of an automated system: the stenotype machine! Why? Is it the fact that shorthand was an utter mystery to everybody but the inventors and those who learnt to use it, while the modern semi-stenography uses recognisable letters?
What am I talking about? Text Speak! The rapid communication of longer words by contraction and even substitution. Letters are left out – usually vowels – and some letter combination sounds are replaced with numbers that give a similar sound – the 4 and 8 being the most frequently used. This quick means of creating messages has spread from not mobile ‘phones, as most assume, but from things like Telex machines, where operators used abbreviations to communicate at a more personal level when sending more official communications. In fact, it may well date further back – to the first telegraphers! Yes, it’s really not that new, after all. Some of the codes and abbreviations are identical, in fact, like TTFN and C U L8R.
So you see, if I now climb down off my high horse of indignation, stupidly acquired through the mistaken belief that I would be condoning the corruption of my Mother tongue, I can safely begin using this shorthand that I have actually been able to learn! I really don’t have to write everything out in full. Heck, I can even adapt it to make my own abbreviated word forms – if I’m consistent enough. Yes, I’ve accepted the modern world and will use so-called “text speak” in my personal notes!
~ Steve