{"version": "1.0", "type": "rich", "title": "Someone in facebook also posted this too", "author_name": "kontextmaschine", "author_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "provider_name": "kontextmaschine", "provider_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "url": "https://kontextmaschine.com/post/188124921978/", "html": "

cumberbangers:

\n
\n

r4cs0:

\n
\n

pseudonymsobriquet:

\n
\n

klubbhead:

\n
\n

halcyonjester:

\n\n
\n

xmagnet-o:

\n
\n

cfluffiness:

\n\n
\n

Someone in facebook also posted this too

\n
\n\n

Omg

\n
\n

Mediglyphics

\n
\n\n

This shit\u2019s infuriating

\n
\n

Oh, this is a type of shorthand!

\n

There are 3 main types, but from my research, this looks to be American Gregg Shorthand.

\n
\n
\n

As you can see, there are set symbols for every letter.

\n

Let\u2019s break one of the words down:

\n

Using the Gregg Alphabet as reference, we can see most of the letters in \u201catrophied\u201d are present. But why no \u201co\u201d vowel, and why is \u201cph\u201d written as \u201cf\u201d?

\n

Simple. In shorthand, you cut out all vowels in a word when writing it down, with the exception of words that BEGIN or END with a vowel (hence the \u201ca\u201d at the start being present), or like in the \u201ci\u201d in \u201catrophied\u201d, to make it more readable when the sound could be harder to distinguish if it isn\u2019t written. In \u201catrophied\u201d if the the \u201ci\u201d isn\u2019t written, it could be hard to tell if the writer meant a \u201cfud\u201d, \u201cfad\u201d, \u201cfod\u201d or \u201cfid\u201d sound, for example.

\n

Also, since Shorthand is a phonetic writing system, you are encouraged to write down the phonetic sounds of words rather than the actual letter blends - in this case, write an \u201cf\u201d instead of a \u201cph\u201d.

\n

So in actuality, these aren\u2019t just meaningless scribbles - it\u2019s Gregg Shorthand, a writing system developed to take down notes more quickly than when written out in full, which is very useful in a medical or journalistic environment.

\n

Some people can even write over 100 words in a minute! And, it\u2019s been in use since John Robert Gregg invented it in 1888! Wow! So old!

\n

Isn\u2019t language amazing~?

\n
\n\n
\n

Having been a nurse for 20 years, I can tell you that some doctors just have shitty handwriting. One weird trick that sometimes helped me to read some of their hieroglyphics was to turn the paper upside down. Then like magic, I could read it. Why this worked, I\u2019ll never know.

\n
\n\n

same reason you suddenly realize what parts of a drawing you fucked up if you flip it mirrored

\n", "thumbnail_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com/media/tumblr_pr0zr9niKy1uwaj3x_540_c1070ee4d072.jpg", "thumbnail_width": 540, "thumbnail_height": 785}