Speedwriting

Speedwriting
Type	cursive Alphabetic Shorthand - also typed
Languages	English
Creator	Emma Dearborn
Published	1924
Time period	1924–present
Parent systems	Latin alphabet English alphabet Speedwriting

Speedwriting is the trademark under which three versions of a shorthand system were marketed during the 20th century. The original version was designed so that it could be written with a pen or typed on a typewriter. At the peak of its popularity Speedwriting was taught in more than 400 vocational schools and its advertisements were ubiquitous in popular American magazines.

The original version of Speedwriting uses letters of the alphabet and a few punctuation marks to represent the sounds of English. There are abbreviations for common prefixes and suffixes, for example uppercase N represents enter- or inter- so "entertainment" is written as Ntn- and "interrogation" is reduced to Ngj. Vowels are omitted from many words and arbitrary abbreviations are provided for the most common words.

Specimen: ltus vaqt ll p/, aspz rNb otfm. Let us have a quiet little party and surprise our neighbor on the farm.

By reducing the use of spaces between words a high level of brevity can be achieved: “laugh and the world laughs with you” can be written as “lfatwolfs wu.”

Original Speedwriting can be typed on a typewriter or computer keyboard. When writing with a pen, one uses regular cursive handwriting with a few small modifications. Lowercase 't' is written as a simple vertical line and 'l' must be written with a distinctive loop; specific shapes for various letters are prescribed in the textbook.

With twelve weeks of training, students could achieve speeds of 80 to 100 words per minute writing with a pen. The inventor of the system was able to type notes on a typewriter as fast as anyone could speak, therefore she believed Speedwriting could eliminate the need for stenotype machines in most applications.

Emma B. Dearborn (February 1, 1875 - July 28, 1937) worked as a shorthand instructor and trainer of shorthand teachers at Simmons College, Columbia University and several other institutions. She was expert in several pen stenography systems as well as stenotype.

Having seen students struggle to master the complexities of symbol-based shorthand systems and stenotype theory, she decided to design a system that would be easier to learn. An early edition of her system was called "The Steno Short-Type System"

Dearborn organized a corporation in 1924 and rebranded her shorthand system under the name of Speedwriting. Starting with just $192 of capital, she used print advertising to turn her textbooks and classes into a thriving international company with offices in England and Canada. Dearborn's company offered correspondence courses to individuals while vocational schools around the country paid an annual franchise fee for the right to teach Speedwriting classes within a specified territory.