Trevor Burton (since 1964)
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Shorthand is a system of handwriting that is designed to increase speed & brevity over normal handwriting. It is often also called stenography although the processes and systems of shorthand are known today and have been known throughout the ages under many different names and guises, sometimes depending upon the design and make-up of the shorthand form itself. Generally symbols or abbreviations are used to represent common words or phrases based upon the alphabet or through the use of phonetics.
Early History
The early history of shorthand was recorded from the countries in and around the mediterranean region & Imperial China. It is doubtful shorthand was ever devised initially from one place alone and possibly its earliest form dates back to a few centuries BC at least. The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans & Chinese were in the main though the early pioneers of shorthand.
Modern Era
The modern era of shorthand began towards the end of the 16th century mainly in Europe and especially in England. Many different individuals devised numerous systems over the next few centuries seemingly inspired initially by Timothy Bright's book “Characterie” in 1588 and other notable publishers followed, John & Edmund Willis, Thomas Shelton, John Byrom, Samuel Taylor, Franz Gabelsberger. Back in around 1660 Samuel Pepys used shorthand in his famous diary & papers and Sir Isaac Newton is thought to have dabbled with a system, whilst over in America a hundred years or so later it was being taken up by leading politicians.
Pitman & Gregg
The most famous shorthand system in recent times is an English Language System developed by Sir Issac Pitman (b. Trowbridge, England, 1813-1897) and is still widely used today and been adapted for other languages. Pitman Shorthand is phonetic and has been improved & adapted over the years much like Gregg Shorthand (published by John Robert Gregg, 1888) which superseded Pitman in the USA.
Teeline
Nowadays in Europe, Teeline is the shorthand system of choice(especially for Journalists) due to it being much easier to learn than the standard phonetic approaches as it is based more on the alphabet. Although it can be slightly slower than Pitman or Gregg it is as well as being easier to learn, easier to read and more transferable into other languages. The Teeline method was created by James Hill(b. Bradford, England, 1908) around 1966-70 and he saw the need for much more user-friendly shorthand away from the phonetic systems. Unfortunately James died shortly after publishing Teeline, however his wife Ivy Constance Hill continued to promote his work and in developing Teeline further. It is perhaps the most modern shorthand writing in use today as essentially it is not that dissimilar to the principles of texting!
A Brief History of Shorthand Writing