THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES B. 0. fc LAWYER DALLAS, NEOPHONOGRAPHY: A METHOD OF SHORT, SWIFT, SCIENTIFIC AND EASY ALPHABETIC WRITING, JAMES RICHARDSON. '.,*' NEW-YORK: HARROUN & BIERSTADT. 1879. Copyright, HARROUN & BIERSTADT. 1879. .. NEOPHONOGRAPHY. NEOPHONOGRAPHY is the result of twenty years of experimental study, having for its object a system of short, swift, scientific and accurate English writing ; a system that should be so easy to learn and remember, so easy to read, and so easy to write, that it would have some reason- able chance of proving an acceptable substitute for ordinary long-hand. One serious difficulty connected with the self-imposed task arose from the circumstance, that the inventor's appre- r ciation of what a perfect writing system should be, became ** more and more exacting with every advance toward a satis- ^ factory solution of the problem. It long ago ceased to be 5 a question how to do better what had already been done 2 tolerably well ; how to meet all the requirements of a prac- tically perfect system of English writing was the only end that could permanently satisfy. !* True, no system of writing hitherto published ever * attempted to meet these requirements, or even the majority j| of them ; true also that from the nature of things it is impossible to meet them all absolutely, the best of human contrivances falling short of ideal perfection ; yet it was felt u that not one of the requirements to be laid down directly f could be safely neglected, and that nothing short of a closely approximate satisfaction of each and all of them could hope to work the needed revolution in popular methods of writ- ing. The conditions referred to are these : the writing ought to be i. Alphabetic: the alphabet to furnish a complete and sufficient key to the writing, every sound being expressed. 2 Neophonography. 2. Phonetic : each vocal element to have one, and only one, distinct sign, absolute in value ; and no sign to have more than one value. 3. Cursive : all the sounds of every word to be writ- ten connectedly in the order of speech, if possible without raising the pen. 4. Simple : each character to require but a single impulse of the pen to make, and no change in the direction of the stroke in making it. 5. Straightforward : the writing to flow freely and dis- tinctly from left to right, each sentence having a distinctly horizontal trend. 6. Compact : the writing to occupy the least space consistent with easy writing, uniform legibility, and the com- plete expression of all the sounds. 7. Labor-saving : the writing to be much shorter, sim- pler, more rapid and less fatiguing than ordinary long-hand. 8. Flexible : that flowing and graceful word-forms may be easily secured, and awkward combinations avoided, with- out any abridgment of the writing. 9. Distinct : the written words to differ in form, not less than the spoken words do in sound, and, generally, to differ proportionally to the difference in sound. 10. Physiological: the sounds to be grouped according to their organic relations, and the signs to be classified to correspond. In addition to these imperative conditions it is desirable that 11. Character value should be independent of position as regards the line of writing. 12. Character value should be independent also of the order in which the signs are written. 13. The characters should be so grouped and classified with relation to the sounds they represent as to reduce to the minimum the risk of illegibility from blurred or badly written word-forms. 14. The consonant elements should not only be most prominent in the writing, but should chiefly determine its character and aspect. 15. The alphabet should furnish a good basis for a NeophonograpJiy. 3 system of stenography ; yet stenographic hooks, crooks, arbi- trary signs and contracted words, should form no necessary part of the writing. The accompanying pages of writing, photographically copied from the author's ordinary manuscript, will suffice to demonstrate that the alphabet here presented, without abbreviation or change, meets, with at the worst close approximation, each and all of these exacting requirements. It must be borne in mind, however, that it is as a system of unabbreviated writing, and not as a system of stenography, that Neophonography presents itself for popular consideration. In no part of his undertaking has the author had in mind the needs of professional reporters, or those who want to prepare themselves immediately for that calling. To what extent Neophonography can be made serviceable to profes- sional stenographers, for whose work speech must be sug- gested rather than written, it being physically impossible for the fleetest hand to trace as many marks as even a slow speaker can utter distinct sounds, must be left for the future to determine. Thus far the author has aimed rather to meet the wants of the vast majority of writers, who wish to write words, not hint at them ; and who want to spare themselves, if possible, a large part of the drudgery which writing now imposes. Those who have tried it say that Neophonography bears the test of every-day use admirably ; that it is ex- tremely easy to read and to write, and taxes the memory very much less than any other system they have tried. Whether it will impress all students as favorably remains to be seen. In this little book no attempt is made to teach phonetics, for the sufficient reason that such training is pretty generally furnished by our public schools ; while those who lack it can find in almost any school-reader, or in the publications of the Spelling Reform Association, the information they need, so far as it is possible to gain it without the aid of a teacher's voice. Assuming that the learner is not unfamiliar with the phonic elements of English speech, he has only to master the alphabet of Neophonography the work of a few hours and then use it. Readiness and skill in analyzing words, and in choosing the characters calculated to give, distinct and fluent word-forms, will come, as skill in tracing graceful and 4 Neophonograpliy. accurate characters must, by continued painstaking practice. By the time the student has read and copied the illustrative pages of writing herewith, until he can do both freely and well, he ought to be able to express any new word promptly and correctly, though not necessarily in the best possible way. In studying the alphabet of Neophonography, it is neces- sary to keep constantly in mind the fact that the new characters are not new signs for old letters. They stand for sounds, each having a distinct and unvarying value.. And in reading, the signs must always be sounded, never named. For example, the sign " " is not /, pe, pay, nor anything of the sort. It stands always for the little puff of breath which the letter / usually but not invariably represents. It should be associated in the mind with its sound, not with p. If it must be spoken of, sound it without any vowel accom- paniment, or describe it as a horizontal light long dash. This practice of disassociating as far as possible the signs of Neophonography and Roman letters, or their common names, is necessary for the easy avoidance of confusion and error. Above all things letter-naming in the guise of oral spelling should be studiously avoided. It is the sounds of words, not their " ess-pe-e-double-ell-i-en-gee," that the writer of Neo- phonography has to deal with. With a single exception the elements of Neophonography are simple strokes of three forms, in three sizes, bearing three relations to the line of writing. The three forms are the dash, the curve, and the wave. The three sizes are short for vowel sounds, medium for intermediates, and long for consonants. The three directions are horizontal for sounds made in the fore part of the mouth ; oblique for middle- mouth sounds ; and perpendicular for sounds made further back in the throat. The 'three nasals (m, n, and ng) are denoted by loops, the stems of which show the organic relations of the respective sounds which they repre- sent. As will be seen by reference to the alphabet, similar sounds are in all cases denoted by similar signs ; while sounds of the same quality, but of unequal stress, are repre- sented by light and heavy strokes of the same form. The advantage of the elaborate classification of sounds and signs Neopkonography 5 thus indicated is two-fold : it greatly facilitates the mastery of the alphabet, and it reduces to the minimum the risk of illegibility when the writing is badly done. Incidentally, too, it helps to secure the directness and fluency which charac- terize this ^ style of writing. The device of making the value of signs independent of the manner in which they are struck, and the assignment of the oblique signs to the most fre- quently recur.ring sounds, unite to increase the distinctness and straightforwardness of the writing. For example, in phonography, the horizontal light curve has two values ; it is ;// when it is convex above, and n when it is convex below. Similarly the oblique light curve is, according to the direction of the stroke, f or r or / or sh. In Neophonog- raphy, on the contrary, each element has one and only one value, no matter how it is written. The oblique light curve, for instance, may be struck in six different ways, two from left to right down, two from left to right up, and twb from right to left down, yet it is always the same character, and always represents the same sound, the hissing sound of s ; and that sound is represented by no other sign. The advan- tage gained by this oneness of value and freedom of stroke is enormous : the mind is not taxed, as in other systems, to re- member and discriminate between the several values of the differ- ent phases of the same forms ; and with the freedom of stroke and curve allowed the hand is enabled to avoid easily the awkward and unwritable combinations characteristic of other short-hand systems. It is also easy to keep the writing distinctly horizontal in its general trend without resorting to the frequent contractions and other stenographic devices made necessary in other brief writing systems by their rigid and uncompromising symbols. To those mistrained in systems allowing no deviation from authoritative forms the flexibility of Neophonography seems at first sight to be a serious objection ; but after a little practical familiarity with the writing this feature is seen to be one of its chief virtues. It is true that many writers will shape many words differently ; but what of that ? This is a method of alphabetic writing, not a system of hieroglyphics ; and to" one who knows the alphabet thoroughly one form of a word is as legible as another. The natural 6 Neophonography. tendency of practice will be to make habitual the most legible and easily written forms ; but this is a matter of convenience, not of necessity. To insist on all men writing alike would necessitate the memorizing of ten or twenty thousand arbitrary forms, the fatal objection to all other short-hand systems, so far as their adaptability to every-day uses is concerned. With them the alphabet is but the beginning of chirographic troubles ; with. Neophonography it is the end of them. Its alphabet is the soul and body of the system in one, and the student has only to master that to be able to read and write correctly. To write skillfully involves manual dexterity, which will come only through painstaking practice, more or less prolonged according to the natural capacity of the learner. The best way to study Neophonography is pen in hand, tracing the words as the sounds are uttered. At first it may be well to go over and over the written pages, tracing the forms without ink, a smooth point of quill or whale-bone being used instead of a pen. Two styles of writing are possible with Neophonography ; one with the pen held in the usual way for long- hand, the heavy obliques being struck for the most part from right to left down ; the other with the pen held reporter's fashion between the first and second fingers, striking the heavy obliques from left to right. The former style is the more compact, but much more fatiguing to write, the drawing stroke being better adapted to the general struct- ure of the writing. If at the outset the pen is held between the fingers, the hand lying on its side, the knack of writing so will soon be acquired, much to the writer's advantage, both in steadiness of stroke and ease of writing. Do not be in a hurry to write fast ; the first requisite is not speed but accuracy. And do not ever expect to " write over a hun- dred words a minute ; " that is not possible with any method, though experts can hint at twice that number by means of almost any stenographic system. To write fully even fifty words a minute is a severe tax upon the hand, if the work is long kept up. English speech will average five distinct sounds to the word ; so that with the simplest alphabet possible, the writing of fifty words involves the making of at least two hundred and fifty distinct marks. Try the XcopIionograpJiy. 7 experiment of making two hundred and fifty pre-determined pen-strokes a minute for five minutes, and then you will be able to form some reasonable estimate of the pen-speed involved in writing fifty or more words a minute, and the probable time it will take you to accomplish it. If the reader is ambitious to become a reporter off hand, he is respectfully advised to direct his attention to some one of the many popular stenographic systems already practically developed : Neophonography is not intended for such uses. Those who are accustomed to stenographic writing will no doubt think it needless labor to spell in full the frequently recurring words the, of, and, or, it, and so on ; and so it may be to experienced writers. By using simple signs for about a hundred such words the writing may be abbreviated very materially, perhaps 25 per cent.; yet not until the writing is completely mastered, and then only when speed is of more importance than certain and easy legibility, is the adoption of such stenographic devices to be recommended. For all practical purposes it is quite enough to save even half the time and labor involved in long-hand writing, .and Neopho- nography can do much more than that. The illustrative pages herewith were written at least four times as fast as the writer's rapid long-hand. KEY-WORDS FOR PHONETIC PRACTICE. P Pea, Pay, Paw, Ape, Up, Ope, Pip, Peep, Pope, Papa, Poppy, Puppy. B Be, By, Bay, Boy, Abe, Abbey, Bib, Bob, Bub, Babe, Babble, Bible. F Fee, Fie, Fit, If, Off, Offer, Fife, Fifcr, Five, Few, Puff, Buff, Beef. V Vie, Vice, Vase, Van, Vat, Vex, Voice, Ere, Of, Lire, Lore, Vivid. TH . . Oath, Both, Bath, Doth, Cloth, Thin, Thigh, Think, Thank, Three. TH . . The, Thy, This, That, These, Those, Thine, Than, With, Bathe. T Tea, Toe, To, Tow, Two, Ate, Oat, Eat, Tip, Top, Tape, Toy, Tin. D Do, Did, Odd, Add, Aid, Deep, Deaf, Dore, Dig, Dog, Daub, Doff. S . . . . See, Say, Saw, Sow, Sis, Sip, Sop, Seed, Sad, Sowed, Soap, Soup. 8 Neophonography. Z Zeal, Zone, Daze, Days, Does, Is, Was, Has, Nose, Knows, Eyes. SH . . . Show, Shall, Shop, Ash, Wash, Sure, Dish, Fish, Wish, Chaise. ZH . . Azure, Measure, Vision, Persian, Glazier, Crosier, Pleasure, Treasure. K . . . . Kick, Kite, Kin, Can, Cat, Cap, Cave, Calf, Cow, Pick, Pack, Act. G . . . . Go, Give, Gave, Get, Gab, Egg, Gas, Big, -Bag, Fig, Fog, Dig, Dug. CH . . Chip, Chap, Chop, Each, Such, Much, Touch, Cheap, Church, Which. J - - - .Jet, Jib, Gem, Age, John, Jane, George, Gig, Jug, Midge, Drudge. M ... Me, May, My, Mow, Aim, Am, Met, Might, More, Some, Same, Dim. N No, Not, On, In, Now, Nor, Gnat, Knab, Night, Knife, Knight. NG ..Sing, Thing, Bring, Long, Tongue, Fling, Cling, Among, Think. W . . . We, Way, Wait, Was, Went, With, Were, Wore, Worth, Word, Wife. Y .... Ye, Yet, Year, Yes, Yore, Beyond, Young, Yonder, Yam, Yearn, Yea. WH . . Why, What, When, Whip, Where, Whether, Whither, Wharf, Whence. R -Ray, Row, Rye, Right, Write, Wring, Reef, Wreath, Rose, Wrote. L . . . .Lay, Low, Let, Leave, Love, Live, Life, Loaf, III, Eel, Ail, Elm. H . . . .He,Hoe, Who, Hat,Hut,Him, Hymn, Whom, Home, Hop, Hope, Whoop. OO . . Good, Cook, Stood, Could, Cuckoo, Bull, Full, Fully, Foot, Soot, Put. 00 ..Noon, Room, Tooth,. Hoot, Move, Lose, Prove, Croup, Through, Two. 1 . . . .It, Which, Myth, Him, Hymn, Cynic, Gypsy, Six, Picnic, Niche. E . . . - Eve, Ear, Mere, Piece, Yield, Conceit, Relief, Priest, People, Thee. U . . . Pure, Ttibe, Cube, View, Dupe, Due, New, True, Few, Ewe, Deuce. IT . . . Use, You, Your, Value, Unit, Union, Tribune, Statue, Exude, Volume. A .... At, As, And, Have, Acid, Act, Anvil, After, Accent, Patent, Answer. A. ... Ware, Pair, Bear, Hair, Where, There, Air, Tear, Care, Prayer. fi . . . Yes, Yet, Egg, Bell, Bury, Ready, Heifer, Measure, Echo, Again. A . Made, Gate, Paste, Chain, IVhey, Day, Daisy, Rein, Wait, Skein. A .... Ask, Past, Grass, Gasp, Cask, Basket, Dance, Waft, Grant, Glance. A . Palm, Salve, Father, Saunter, Jaunt, Farther, Marble, Varnish, Are. ().... On, Oft, Top, Hop, What, Wad, Wand, Spot, Not, Squash, Wanton. A .All, Awl, Also, Salt, Haul, Cause, Corn, For, Fork, Sort, North. U . . . Up, Doth, Puff, Son, Dove, Chum, Cup, Shove, Oven, Come, Drum. \j . . .Burn, Spur, Curl, Fern, Earth, Verb, Myrrh, Sir, Her, Bird, Birth. ().... Open, Oval, Over, Arrow, Willow, Meadow, Fellow, Both, Loaf. ().... Home, Hole, Toad, Pour, Hoarse, Porter, Most, Bowl, Coarse, Beau. I. . . .Pipe, Fine, Fight, Die, Dye, Gyve, Geyser, Spy, Spite, Sight, Guy. OI . . .Boil, Boy, Toil, Noise, Toy, Spoil, Toilet, Employ, Coin, Joist, Join. OU . . Our, Out, Now, Sour, Crown, Prow, Found, Power, Howl, Hour. /) \ \ A . -- X C i .. _ cro \ a. so. 10 I fL I <. Li < w c ' / a si s a f f f> <7T V L tru ^ , Y ' -^X -^i ^ / /o ^ > sv . >/~* x A ->/~ \1 /- ^ ~~ A ; * A : y 9 / in /J" >^_>S 7 v -y^ - v / ^^/a *~~^ ' '^'Vl i // x-V ^ I s H 0v -s. crv -rS y * * \^~ oc s -s ^*1/ - -*^ *> xC -^sTr v^ , / /? A- J \vN> . sX t ' ~~J ^-^ \~ ^ ' \ -^-~ / ^L J . fj -^^^-^- sS? ~~ -S~, ff \ ^\ ' / *y " -^ ~^^ a &s\\S, y vx -- ^ \/f V I 't V ; - V ! ' V? / V? <>C '^{j J OC v ? " V Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. Form L9-25?n-9,'47(A5618)444 UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA AT A 000 573 628 5