This unusual writing style was created in order to facilitate the taking of notes – Is it anything you’ve seen before?
Taking notes has become a simple task in recent years. For a class or work meeting, a simple photograph on a slide or leaving the mobile recorder on is sufficient. However, there was a period when we had to use a specific style of writing if we wanted to take notes quickly on a subject.
Shorthand was invented by the Greek historian Xenophon, but it was not until the Roman Empire arrived that this style of writing gained popularity. The system has been in use for over 1000 years.
During the Middle Ages, it was on the brink of extinction, but during the Victorian era, it achieved new heights, with it even being employed to speed up the translation of the Bible.
Sir Isaac Pitman’s brother brought the technique to the American continent in 1837. It was given a stylistic boost by John Robert Gregg, who coined the term “Light-Line Phonography,” which was later shortened to Gregg shorthand or “Short Hand Gregg.”
The style was created to make letterforms easier to read and write, as well as to make documenting information easier. It is still used to take notes in disciplines such as law, medicine, and secretarial work. Have you heard of this type of writing before?
