Dutton Speedwords
Encyclopedia
Dutton Speedwords sometimes called rapmotz, is an international auxiliary language as well a shorthand
writing system. It was invented by Reginald J. G. Dutton
(1886–1970) in 1922. It was first published in 1935 under the title International Symbolic Script and a year later using the name Speedwords. Revisions were made and published in 1946 and 1951.
The dual function of being both an international language and a shorthand system was intended as a way of encouraging more people to see the value of the method. The original Dutton Speedwords manuals are now out of print, but the method has seen a revival since the start of the 21st century, as its applications on online work have become noted, such as the benefit of using a shorthand method for typing e-mail.
Unlike other shorthand methods, such as Pitman's
shorthand, the Speedwords method uses ordinary Roman letters to represent the semantic qualities of words rather than using new symbols. This makes it not only easier to learn, but means it can be typed using a normal keyboard.
The vocabulary of Speedwords uses many international words and compressed forms of the writer's own language.
Dutton conceived Speedwords not only as a system of shorthand but as an auxiliary spoken language; thus, he also provided rules of pronunciation. As a written system only, it is interesting to compare Speedwords to the shorthands used in mobile phone text messages
.
The principle behind the choice of word roots of Dutton Speedwords is the maxim that frequently used words should be shorter than seldom-used words in order to speed up communication (see information theory
). Thus, there are 493 one-, two- and three-letter roots. For example, the top twelve most frequently used English words are listed below with their single-letter Dutton Speedword equivalents:
Some two- and three-letter words are
(Note that all but the first of these examples are taken from Latin roots —sapio, amo, bellus, lingua, ludus—as are "room" and "sleep" below—camera and dormio—while "good" and the root for "air" below come from German
: gut, luft.)
The few hundred roots are combined through the use of affixes to expand vocabulary. For example: the affix -a indicates an unfavorable connotation to the root-word; thus, bixy = kill, bixya = murder. Some compounds appear fanciful, or at least not immediately transparent, such as ky + luf (eat + air) to mean "picnic". Grammatical features include the use of single letters (as opposed to verb conjugations) to indicate tense; the letter r indicates future tense and y indicates past. Thus, j sa = I know, j ysa = I knew, j r sa = I will know. Nouns and verbs have the same form ( as do many English words: the light, I light, etc.) as do adverbs and adjectives (bel = "beautiful" and "beautifully"). Compounds follow a headnoun-modifier sequence, as in ca + dor (room + sleep) = bedroom.
Shorthand
Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed or brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos and graphē or graphie...
writing system. It was invented by Reginald J. G. Dutton
Reginald J. G. Dutton
Reginald J.G. Dutton, . Reginald John Garfield Dutton was born in Nottingham, England, the eldest son of George H.J. Dutton. He was the inventor of the auxiliary language and stenographic system known as Dutton Speedwords. Dutton studied Pitman Shorthand and other shorthand systems as an aid to his...
(1886–1970) in 1922. It was first published in 1935 under the title International Symbolic Script and a year later using the name Speedwords. Revisions were made and published in 1946 and 1951.
The dual function of being both an international language and a shorthand system was intended as a way of encouraging more people to see the value of the method. The original Dutton Speedwords manuals are now out of print, but the method has seen a revival since the start of the 21st century, as its applications on online work have become noted, such as the benefit of using a shorthand method for typing e-mail.
Unlike other shorthand methods, such as Pitman's
Isaac Pitman
Sir Isaac Pitman , knighted in 1894, developed the most widely used system of shorthand, known now as Pitman shorthand. He first proposed this in Stenographic Soundhand in 1837. Pitman was a qualified teacher and taught at a private school he founded in Wotton-under-Edge...
shorthand, the Speedwords method uses ordinary Roman letters to represent the semantic qualities of words rather than using new symbols. This makes it not only easier to learn, but means it can be typed using a normal keyboard.
The vocabulary of Speedwords uses many international words and compressed forms of the writer's own language.
Dutton conceived Speedwords not only as a system of shorthand but as an auxiliary spoken language; thus, he also provided rules of pronunciation. As a written system only, it is interesting to compare Speedwords to the shorthands used in mobile phone text messages
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
.
The principle behind the choice of word roots of Dutton Speedwords is the maxim that frequently used words should be shorter than seldom-used words in order to speed up communication (see information theory
Information theory
Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics and electrical engineering involving the quantification of information. Information theory was developed by Claude E. Shannon to find fundamental limits on signal processing operations such as compressing data and on reliably storing and...
). Thus, there are 493 one-, two- and three-letter roots. For example, the top twelve most frequently used English words are listed below with their single-letter Dutton Speedword equivalents:
- the -- l
- of -- d
- and -- &
- to -- a
- in -- i
- a -- u
- that -- k
- is -- e
- was -- y
- he -- s
- for -- f
- it -- t
Some two- and three-letter words are
- good -- gu
- know -- sa
- love -- am
- beautiful -- bel
- language -- lin
- game, play -- lud
(Note that all but the first of these examples are taken from Latin roots —sapio, amo, bellus, lingua, ludus—as are "room" and "sleep" below—camera and dormio—while "good" and the root for "air" below come from German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: gut, luft.)
The few hundred roots are combined through the use of affixes to expand vocabulary. For example: the affix -a indicates an unfavorable connotation to the root-word; thus, bixy = kill, bixya = murder. Some compounds appear fanciful, or at least not immediately transparent, such as ky + luf (eat + air) to mean "picnic". Grammatical features include the use of single letters (as opposed to verb conjugations) to indicate tense; the letter r indicates future tense and y indicates past. Thus, j sa = I know, j ysa = I knew, j r sa = I will know. Nouns and verbs have the same form ( as do many English words: the light, I light, etc.) as do adverbs and adjectives (bel = "beautiful" and "beautifully"). Compounds follow a headnoun-modifier sequence, as in ca + dor (room + sleep) = bedroom.
External links
- "Dutton Speedwords Dictionary" transcribed by Richard Kennaway - approximately 3 000 Dutton Speedwords
- Dutton Speedwords Translator
- Piashi - a modern speedwords derivative
- Yublin - a shorthand based on similar principles, but optimized for notetaking compression rather than international dialogue
- Dutton v Pitman (Shorthand) Alleged Libel Lawsuit