Abbreviation

A Abbreviaturschrift also abbreviation font called, is a font used either exclusively letters of the conventional Script (long writing) in unchanged and partially condensed form or a mixture of characters of the long type and stenographic consists mark (Halbstenografie). A further shortening of the abbreviations is achieved through additional writing and abbreviation rules. Abbreviation principles are already used in ancient manuscripts ; the late writers of the Middle Ages and the “speed writers” in the time of the Reformation used shortened long scripts.

Abbreviations from Gabelsberger and Stolze

Even Franz Xaver Gabelsberger (1789-1849), whose acronym writing was, as well as a precursor to his "speech draftsmanship" Heinrich August Wilhelm Stolze (1798-1867) independently developed Abbreviaturschriften.

Gabelsberger intended to have an abbreviation printed, which he named "Deutsche Abbreviaturschrift, etc." in 1840, and then in 1841 "Draft for a simplified, short conceptual font"; however, he never got around to it. In this design he used simplified characters from the common cursive script of the time. Gabelsberger reduced the round s to a little ring, which creates the shorthand form. The vowels it can either away or he interprets them by extension, curvature of the hyphen, inter alia, on Mitlautzeichen on. He puts some short forms above or below the writing line.

Wilhelm Stolze showed an abbreviated longhand at a lecture at the Polytechnic Society in Berlin . However, this writing should only motivate students to learn shorthand and prepare them for learning. He hadn't planned a publication from the start.

Recent publications

Newer abbreviated fonts are Speedwriting , the German Notschrift by Georg Paucker and the Neue Notschrift by Karl Wilhelm Henke and Konrad Weber.

Advantages and disadvantages

Most abbreviation fonts were developed with the intention of avoiding completely unfamiliar characters, such as those found in full stenography systems, in order to make them easier to learn. By keeping the familiar long-written characters - in some cases with the simplification of the lettering - it should be easier for the learner to learn an abbreviation. The disadvantage, however, is that the long-written letters, despite many simplifications and shortenings of their forms, are too long to achieve a decisive shortness of the font. A comprehensive set of rules with many omissions, abbreviations and special rules is therefore unavoidable and consequently associated with a great deal of learning for most abbreviations. An at least threefold increase in long-written writing speed, i.e. from 120 syllables per minute , can be achieved with appropriate practice.

literature

Kaden, Walter: New history of shorthand. From the creation of writing to contemporary shorthand , Dresden 1999.
Johnen, Christian: General history of shorthand , 3rd edition, Berlin 1928.
Karpenstein, Hans: What is “speed writing”? , in: The shorthand teacher. Scientific monthly to promote teaching in shorthand, typing and related fields 12/1966, pp. 297-306.
Kojic, Branko: Shorthand as a memo , in: Report of the 34th Intersteno Congress 1981 from July 18 to 24 in Mannheim, o. O. (1981), p. 104.
Moser, Franz, u. a .: Living shorthand story. A guide through the theory of shorthand and the history of shorthand , 9th edition, Darmstadt 1990.
Schneider, L., et al. a .: History of the German shorthand , Wolfenbüttel 1936.