STENOGRAPHY

S T E N O G R A P H Y; Or, SHORT-HAND WRITING. THE most essential properties of short-hand are expedition and legibility. Any scheme which does not possess a sufficient degree of the first has no title to the name of Short-hand; and if the last is wanting, let the method in other respects be what it will, it is good for nothing. The scheme here proposed has a very considerable degree of both, and is also more regular and beautiful than any other. The characters are all supposed to be written in a space between two parallel lines. Such letters as are perpendicular or diagonal are intended to fill the whole space; but the natural place of horizontal characters is at the top of the space, except when it is otherwise directed by the following rules. On Plate ECLXXIV. No. 1, you have the letters of the alphabet, and words expressed by them when they stand alone. Thus the first b signifies be or by; the second, but or put. Horizontal characters, or such as belong belong to that class, as d, m, n, &c. are double; the first standing at the top of the space, as d, which then signifies do or doings; the other d is set at the bottom of the space, and stands for would or doing. m, n, s, and x, have three places in the space, at the top, in the middle, and at the bottom. Example: m at the top is them, me, my, or am; the connection will readily distinguish which of these words is meant. The second k being a horizontal character, has one place at the top of the space, when it expresses can, come, or comings; and another at the bottom, when it is put for common or commonly. N. B. The first column contains all the characters used in this short-hand; those in No 4. being no more than natural and obvious contractions of some of them. Where two characters are employed to express one letter, that one is to be chosen occasionally which will make the most easy and natural joining. Beginners will be ready to choose that character which does not join easily; but let not this discourage them, for a little practice will remove this difficulty. The first l must always be begun at the bottom; but r either at the top or bottom of the space, as occasion may require. No 2. is a list of prepositions, and No 3. is a list of terminations; of which afterwards. No 4. contains some double and triple consonants, which are contracted according to the rules afterwards laid down. All unnecessary angles must be avoided in joining the characters, as in No 5. The horizontal k must not follow a character drawn upward, nor x one that is drawn downward, as in No 6. Many of the letters may be contracted as in No 7. bn, gm, gn, gr, kr, nv; and double letters are wrote as in No 8. bb, dd, kk, mm, nn, ss. N. B. No letter is to be considered as doubled unless a vowel intervenes; as mammon, write mmon; babbler, bb; candid, candd. No 9. contains another method of doubling letters, by dividing them with a small stroke behind; as ff, rr, tt, br, bt, ks, lt, pr, chf. Consonants may be also doubled by making one of them only half the usual size, as in No 10. btr, brt, ff, fr, ffr, fr, lrr, ltr, ttl, rrb, rrt, rrt, wor, worr. Letters of the same organ may be changed, for the sake of more easy joining; as b for p, f for v, k for q or c hard, ks for x, ch for sh, k for hard ch; and also t for th, and vice versa. This is the reason why our alphabet has no e, because k or s stands for it; and likewise why it has no z, because s will express it. These exchanges are intended only to take place in the middle and end of words, except q; for we may write kalify, kite, for qualify, quite; but k is always used for hard c, s for c soft, and s for z. f is never wrote for sw, only for v. No 11. shows the method of joining the letters to one another, and needs no explanation. b is always omitted in the middle and end of words; and if a vowel follows, it may be left out even in the beginning, as Teova, or even Teova, umour or umor. y is never wrote except in the beginning of words; but beyond, behind, may be expressed as in No 12. A compound word may be disjoined, as steel yard. t is sometimes used for th, as No 13. lengthen. The second th is never to be joined to the first t or r when standing by themselves; but it may be joined to y and q, as in No 14. youth, quoth. At the end of a word f or v may be joined thus, No 15. bu, tu, do; and cut what, cut when; which last is distinguished from cod, which is joined at the bottom of the w. The stroke dividing two letters may sometimes be supplied by the preceding character, as spr, kpt, No 16. but the dividing stroke may frequently be omitted in words of many syllables, as constitute; and the same liberty may soon be taken with words that are shorter; spt with r only half the usual length, may be spellator, No 17. As t is sometimes used for th, thr or thre may be wrote as in No 18. bthr as in No 19. and btr or better, as in No 20. OF SPELLING.—The general rule is, "Spell as you pronounce;" for chaife, shaise; laugh, las; draught, drast; though, tho; debt, det; phycic, fsik; schism, fsim; foreign, foren; writing, riting; high, hi; honest, onest; psalm, sam; friendship, frnshp. g is dropt in such words as strength, t in fetch; all, ell, ill, may be wrote by k, and their plurals by ks. t at the end of a word with p before it may be dropt. In general, let the word be as much contracted as possible: after a little practice, the learner will find this very easy, and farther rules will be necessary. If p ends a word, write the second p; but if ps or bs, then use the first p; if bt or pt, use the second b as a final character. OF VOWELS.—They are expressed by a dot in different situations, as in No 21. where t, m, n, and s, have dots placed both before and after them, to show the different vowels. But as the position of the dots is fully exemplified in No 22. it is unnecessary to give a particular description. When a vowel is to be placed between two consonants, a, e, i, follow the first, o and u go before the last; see No 22. but advantage may be taken of the place of i, so that by changing it different words may be expressed, as kite, quite, No 23. When two perpendicular characters are separated by the dividing stroke, a and e go to the first, i in the middle, o and u to the last part of the character; as No 24. bat, bet, bit, bot, but. Diphthongs are to be expressed by the vowel whose sound is most prevalent: as ai, au, by a; oi by i; ou by o; oo by u. w is never a vowel, for it is always dropt at the end of words. The following rules show when vowels ought to be expressed, and when not. In general, no more than one vowel ought to be written in any word, excepting in such words as idea, ide. 1st. The initial vowel of a monosyllable must be expressed as in add, apt, elf, ill. 2dly. The final vowel (if there is no initial) must be wrote in monosyllables; few, bow, pay, write fu, bo, pa. 3dly. No short vowel is to be expressed in any word whatever. 4thly. A long vowel must be wrote in a monosyllable, except in such common words as both, life, sake. 5thly. A word of more than one syllable must have its final vowel expressed thus, aptly, empty, concisely, ptly, empy, knolly. 6thly. A word of more than one syllable must have its long vowel expressed (if it has no final), as spual for espousal, amir for admire. 7thly. A word of two syllables, having no final nor long vowel, must have its initial vowel wrote, as akrn for acorn, img for image. 8thly. If a word have three or more syllables without either long or final vowel, write no vowel at all: thus, mbish, embellish. When the prepositions in, im, are followed by n, m, the initial vowel must be expressed, imdst, immodest, untrl, unnatural. When the plural or possessive s follows a final vowel, the vowel must not be omitted; as fellies, raillies, No 25. In writing after a speaker, though you should leave out more vowels than the above rules direct, they may be inserted afterwards when you have more leisure. OF PREPOSITIONS.—They are always to be wrote separate from the rest of the word. Such as are horizontal may be placed in the middle or at the bottom of the space, but never at the top. The perpendicular and horizontal are made shorter by one-third than their usual length, and are placed at the bottom of the space. No vowel must at any time be joined to a preposition, but must always be prefixed to the following consonant; as connive, No 26. If s follows a preposition, and is used as a dividing stroke, the preposition may be joined to it; as insult, No 29. Such letters as are not employed as prepositions may be made prepositions at large; as gentleman, gentlewoman, ginger-bread, landlord, No 27. Compound words may be joined or disjoined at pleasure; as coachman. In the list of prepositions No 2. the first n signifying anti, &c. is placed in the middle of the space; and the other, signifying un, &c. at the bottom. s has three places; when it signifies satis, super, it stands at the top of the space, and is the only preposition which has a place at the top. OF TERMINATIONS.—They may be made the usual size, and may therefore fill the whole space: the termination ings is always placed at the top, and ing at the bottom. tion, tion, in No 3. has five places, according to the vowel which goes before it; as ation, etion, &c.: but if a consonant goes before it, that consonant is left out, and sion, tion, is put in the preceding vowel's place; as for invention, we write invention; transation, transation; distinction, distinction; adoption, adoption; presumption, presumption. Let sion, tion, be put in the preceding vowel's place, to horizontal as well as perpendicular characters: example, ascension, No 30. If one termination follows another, the last must be written at length, as possibility; with or without the dividing stroke, testamentary, No 31. If a preposition and termination compose the whole of a word, one of them must be wrote at length, whichever the writer pleases. Comical, transition, are wrote both ways in No 32. N. B. Prepositions and terminations must never be used in writing monosyllables. Plate CCLXXV. No 33. contains the compound prepositions concom, contradist, decon, No 34. discon or discon, disin or disinter, disfatis, incon or incom, indis or undis, No 35. insigni, impro, insuper or unsatis, unpro, intrans or untrans, No 36. in circum or uncircum, in contro or uncontro, misinter or misunder, miscon or miscon, misrepre. No 37. recon or recon, repre, uninter, interpre, misinterpre. The reader will observe, that these compound prepositions are all made up of such as are more simple, and are such as any person would naturally be led to form for his own use; on which account they can be no burden to the memory. N. B. In these examples, and every where else, where two or more words are coupled together by the conjunction or, there is but one character to express them in the Plate. No 38. contains examples of prepositions and terminations in their formation of words, contradist, circumstance, external, recompense. No 39. selfishness, remember, blamable, repetition. No 40. discontentment, uncomfortable, comical, omnipotent. No 41. Antichrist, interpreter, undermine, contradistinction. No 42. competent, supereminently, magnitude, property. No 43. transferable, withstand, discompose, disinterested. ABBREVIATING RULES. 1st, Such words as are usually abbreviated in long hand may be abbreviated in short: as Dr, Doctor; admn, administrator; e'er, ever; e'er, ever; e'en, even; e'ntide, eventide; e'rtake, overtake; e'ery, every; as in No 44. Poetic contractions may also be used: as morn, morning; trump, trumpet; e'en, evening; No 45. But there are some contractions in long-hand, which are not to be imitated in short: we write he will, not he'll; will not, not won't; cannot, not can't. 2d, A dot variously applied to a character, so as not to interfere with the vowels places, may be made a mark of abbreviation: thus, if it is placed where the character terminates, it may be the mark of a substantive singular or verb; as t, d, s, and w, in No 47. If it is placed at the beginning of the character, it will denote the substantive plural; as in No 48. The adjective has a mark above the character towards the left-hand; and the participle-perfect a small perpendicular stroke towards the right-hand of the character: both these are exemplified in No 49. The adverb is a dot towards the left-hand below; as in No 50. The participle in ing is an oblique stroke, like the third part of our r, placed towards the right-hand below, No 51. The participle in ings, is the same stroke placed at the top of the space, No 52. In No 53. these marks of abbreviation are illustrated, where d with the substantive-dot denotes advice or advise; with the plural-dot, advice; with the participle-perfect dot, advised; with the adverb-dot, advisedly; with the participle in ing, advising; its plural advisings, and the adjective advisable. No 54. exemplifies the same thing with letter s; which, with the substantive-mark, signifies service or serve; and, with the other dots, services, served, serviceably, serving, serving, serviceable; and in No 55. t with the substantive or verb mark expresses triumph; and, with the other dots, triumphs, triumphed, triumphantly, triumphing, triumphings, triumphant. This use of the dot is only intended to abbreviate such words in a sentence as the connection will readily suggest by this hint; that is, in such cases as, if a person were writing long-hand, he would contract some word in a sentence by writing only the first letter of the word with a dash after it, as a sufficient expression for the word: and in every subject there are some leading words which cannot be mistaken though they are thus contracted, for the connection will immediately decipher them. In following a speaker, it may be sufficient to use the substantive mark only; but if time will permit, it is better to use them all. In order that these marks may be easily applied, let it be observed, that if a word ends in s, the substantive-plural mark may be used. If it ends in ed, use the participle-perfect mark: if in ly, use the adverb mark: if in ing or ings, use these marks respectively; only ing and ings are not to be used in writing monosyllables. If a word ends in none of these, use the substantive or adjective mark at pleasure. A list of words may be formed by the help of this mark, and committed to memory; each individual may adapt the list to his own profession, by making choice of such words as frequently occur, and would be be too long if wrote by any other rule. From No 56. to No 61. a list is given of such words as may suit the divine; the lawyer or physician may easily change these for others more suited to their respective professions. No 56. contains blots or blessing, believe or belief, difficulty, doctrine, advantage, divide or division. No 57. frequent or frequency, godliness, justice, glory or glorify, goodness, humanize or humanity. No 58. covet or covetousness, consider or consideration, consequence, liberality, lament or lamentation, mortality, member. No 59. nature, engage or engagement, present or presence, part, qualify or qualification, repent or repentance, spirit. No 60. sense, temper, world, exemplify or example, except or exception, youthfulness, cheerfulness. No 61. change, shame, thank, charity, cheat, grace, Christian, thoughtfulness. In completing this list, that adjective, adverb, &c. should be chosen which bears the greatest resemblance to the substantive in its consonants. Nos 62. 63. 64. and 65. exemplify the manner of completing the list in the word divide. No 62. contains divide, dividing, dividings, divided, divisible, divisibly. No 63. divider, dividend. No 64. indivisible, undivided, individual, individuality. No 65. divisibility, indivisibility, indivisibleness. Where there is no angle at which the dot may be placed, a small line is drawn through the character at the part where the dot should stand, as in dividend in No 63. In these examples both prepositions and terminations are applied, which makes the method of carrying this list to a great extent sufficiently plain. 3d. Some words may be abbreviated by writing the preposition with the following consonant and mark of contraction; as, She ruined her comp—with rouge. He presents comp—s, and thanks for your favours. They are so alike that it is difficult to dist—between them, No 66. 4th. Other words may be contracted by writing the vowel following the consonant, instead of the mark of contraction. As competition or st, as circumstance in No 67. But if the word is plural, the plural mark must not be omitted. 5th. Words of more than one consonant may have their termination expressed by the mark of contraction; as, reasonableness, hardness, different, fairly, as in No 68. If the termination of a plural substantive is dropped, the plural mark must be set at the beginning of a word; as exhortations, No 69. But the termination must never be omitted if a long vowel goes before it, as employment. In many cases the termination is so evident, that no expression need be made for it, as in these examples: He was very closely engage in business; We had entertain them very elegantly; They were walk in the fields. The terminations of the second and third persons of verbs may be always omitted; as, speak for speakest, teach for teacheth. 6th. Many words may be expressed by their first vowel and consonant following; as in No 70. Abroad, about, after. No 71. often, action, according or accordingly, occasion. No 72. Almost, always, immediately, impossible. No 73. into, only, unto, apart. No 74. Open, acquaint, aside, these. No 75. This, those, thus, almost. No 76. Extremely, excessively. Observe that these and this are wrote in the middle of the space, those and thus at the bottom. This list of words, contained in Nos 70, 71, &c. may be increased as the learner improves in the writing; and leading words may be wrote by this rule as well as by the mark of contraction, always taking care that they be such as the connection will readily discover. Other words may be expressed by their first consonant and vowel following; as in No 77. Before, become, hardly, likewise. No 78. Likely, many, perpetual or perpetually, peculiar or peculiarly, real or really or reality. No 79. Every, something, sometimes, since. Something is wrote in the middle of the space; sometimes and since are both placed at the bottom. 7th. The beginnings and endings of some words will be sufficient to express them; as in No 80. University, banishment, curiosity, arbitrary. And if the first character is horizontal, it may be placed at the bottom; as in No 81. University, civility. In these two last numbers university is differently expressed; that in No 80. may be put for the word unity. 8th. The first consonant and termination of a word may often be a sufficient expression for it; as in No 82. punishment. 9th. The first and last consonant may signify a whole word in these cases following. If the characters are both horizontal, place them at the bottom of the space; as, certain, concern, No 83.: or join them by an angle, as, dollar, master, No 83.: or join them in an unusual manner; as, former, proper or pleasure, character, harbour: or, lastly, write them separately the one above the other; as, between, return, retreat, in No 85. And words wrote by this 9th rule may have any necessary augment joined to them; as, Returns, delivered, murdering, in No 86. Many common words may be abbreviated by writing the first and last consonants, the one above the other: thus, between, former, neither, unless, in No 87.; and perhaps, seldom, further, in No 88. 10th. Repetition is to be expressed by placing so many dots at the bottom of the word, to be repeated as there are repetitions of it; thus, Holy, holy, holy, No 89. Or if a whole sentence is repeated, draw a line under the whole repetition, and place dots at the end for as many times as it is repeated. The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, No 90. These rules ought to be used sparingly at first; as they grow familiar, they may be used more extensively. No 91. contains characters for figures, distinguished from other characters by a small oblique stroke placed before them. No 92. is an illustration of the joining of such characters, in the various combinations of figures; but if the learner chooses, he may make use of common figures. No 93. shows how dots may be placed for the comma, semicolon, colon, and period; but proportional spaces may be left in the writing instead of them. No 94. are marks of reference, which the reader may vary at his pleasure. GENERAL SPECIMEN, (Plate CCLXXV.) "How frequently is the honesty and integrity of a man disposed of by a smile or a shrug?—How many good and generous actions have been sunk into oblivion by a distrustful look,—or stamped with the imputation of proceeding from bad motives, by a mysterious and feathery whisper? "Look into companies of those whose gentle natures should disarm them,—we shall find no better account.—How large a portion of charity is sent out of the world by distant hints,—nodded away, and cruelly winked into suspicion by the envy or those who are passed passed all temptation of it themselves?—How often does the reputation of a helpless creature bleed by a report—which the party who is at the pains to propagate it, beholds with much pity and fellow-feeling,—that she is heartily sorry for it,—hopes in God it is not true? however, as archbishop Tillotson wittily observes upon it, is resolved, in the mean time, to give the report her pass, that at least it may have fair play to take its fortune in the world—to be believed or not, according to the charity of those into whose hands it shall happen to fall? “So fruitful is this vice in variety of expedients, to satiate as well as disguise itself. But if these smoother weapons cut so sore—what shall we say of open and unblushing scandal—subjected to no caution—tied down to no restraints? If the one, like an arrow shot in the dark, does nevertheless so much secret mischief—this, like the pestilence which rageth at noon-day, sweeps all before it, levelling without distinction the good and the bad; a thousand fall beside it, and ten thousand on its right hand—they fall—so rent and torn in this tender part of them, so unmercifully butchered, as sometimes never to recover either the wounds or the anguish of heart—which they have occasioned.— “But there is nothing so bad which will not admit of something to be said in its defence. “And here it may be asked—Whether the inconveniences and ill effects which the world feels—from the licentiousness of this practice—are not sufficiently counterbalanced by the real influence it has upon mens lives and conduct?—That if there was no evil-speaking in the world, thousands would be encouraged to do ill, and would rush into many indecorums, like a horse into the battle, were they sure to escape the tongues of men. “That if we take a general view of the world—we shall find, that a great deal of virtue—at least of the outward appearance of it, is not so much from any fixed principle, as the terror of what the world will say, and the liberty it will take upon the occasions we shall give. “That if we descend to particulars, numbers are every day taking more care to be well spoken of, than what would actually enable them to live so as to deserve it. “That there are many of both sexes who can support life well enough without honour or chastity, who, without reputation (which is but the opinion which the world has of the matter), would hide their heads in shame, and sink down in utter despair of happiness. “Nodoubt the tongue is a weapon which does chastise many indecorums which the laws of men will not reach,—and keeps many in awe, whom conscience will not; and where the case is indisputably flagrant, the speaking of it in such words as it deserves, scarce comes within the prohibition.—In many cases it is hard to express ourselves so as to fix a distinction betwixt opposite characters—and sometimes it may be as much a debt we owe to virtue, and as great a piece of justice, to expose a vicious character, and paint it in its proper colours, as it is to speak well of the deserving, and describe his particular virtues. And indeed, when we inflict this punishment upon the bad, merely out of principle, and without indulgences to any private passion of our own—’tis a case which happens so seldom, that one might venture to except it. “However, to those who in this objection are really concerned for the cause of virtue, I cannot help recommending what would much more effectually serve her interest, and be a sure token of their zeal and attachment to her. And that is—in all such plain instances where it seems to be duty to fix a distinction betwixt the good and the bad—to let their actions speak it instead of their words, or at least to let them both speak one language. We all talk so loud against vicious characters, and are so unanimous in our cry against them—that an inexperienced man, who only trusted his ears, would imagine the whole world was in an uproar about it.” S T E S T E STENTOROPHONIC TUBE, a speaking-trumpet; thus called from Stentor, a person mentioned by Homer. See ACOUSTICS, n° 26. STEPHANUS (Byzantinus), an able grammarian, who lived in the 5th or 6th century. He wrote a Dictionary, in which he made a great number of observations, borrowed from mythology and history, which showed the origin of cities and colonies, of which we have nothing remaining but a mean abridgment, by Hermolaus the grammarian; but from that work the learned have received great light; and Sigonius, Casaubon, Scaliger, Salmasius, &c. have employed themselves in illustrating it. STEPHEN, king of England. See ENGLAND, n° 107, &c. STEPHEN, or St Stephen's Day, a festival of the Christian church, observed on the 26th of December, in memory of the first martyr St Stephen.