Compare Alpha Shorthand Systems

Comparison of Keyscript with other Alphabetical Shorthand Systems

I have often boasted that Keyscript is the fastest fully alphabetical shorthand.  Well, let us see and compare.  The number of characters is given (in brackets) after each passage.
Please also see graph at end.

PERSONAL SHORTHAND (or Briefhand)

Dear Sir: In reply to your request of March 5, several of our sales catalogues are being shipped to you, under separate cover. Thank you for your interest in our organization. We appreciate your help. If we can be of further service, let us know. Sincerely, (212)

ds n rpli t y rqst o mr 5, svrl o r sals ctlgs r bg spd t u, u sprt cvr. t u f y ntrst n r org. w aprsat y hlp. f w c b o frtr srvc, lt u n. s (98)

KEYSCRIPT
drsr n ri tr rqz vmrc 5 sv v l sls kegs l bg ji tu xr wpt kq. hu qr nez nl lgc. wijt r lp. fwkb vfrh srvs qsn. swrl (84)

http://www.eralearning.com/01/ps2.php

 

 

EASYSCRIPT

The number of associates signed up for this program has considerably exceeded our expectations. Although this training was targeted for secretaries, associates with a wide variety of job titles have registered. (180)

H numbr o assts signd up fr ths pgram hs csidy excd ou xpechs.  Alt ths traig was targd fr secrs, assts wth a wde vary o jb tlts hv rgisd. (107)

KEYSCRIPT
h nbv jjts syx p qe iam s cwdi kse l kspks. uh e eng z trge q ykrs jjts c a wd vrt vjb tes v rjo. (70)

http://www.easyscript.com/demos/demo_easyscript.asp#

AGILIWRITING

You will be pleased with the benefit you receive from using this easy system of typing and writing quickly. (89)

uwlb plzd wth th bnfit u rzv frm uzg ths ezy sstm f typg nd wrtg qkly. (54)

KEYSCRIPT
ulb iz cbnc ursv m ysg e j szm vtpg a rtg kkl.  (34)

http://76.12.76.4/showthread.php?t=20283&page=3

SUPERWRITE

 

Time Management

It has been said that each of us has the same amount of time available.  This is true, but some people get their work accomplished with time to spare while others do not. (151)

lm mgl

l h b sd tl eC o us h t sam aml o lm av. ts s lru, bl sm pep gl te wk acmplSd w lm l spr wil otrs d nl. (76)

KEYSCRIPT

tm mnjx

tsn sd i c v s ssm mx vtm vli. es e e sm pi t o wo kiu c tm tspr wl cs dx. (56)

http://www.neisd.net/mac/career/besuperwri2.htm

SPEEDWRITING

Pay the bill. Let me have a cheque for the bill. May I see the book? The new book is big. I can judge the value of the book if you fetch it. The book is new and I can get it for you. (139)

pa . bl\ ll me v a ck f . bl\ ma i se . bk? . nu bk s bg\ i k jj . vlu v . bk if u fc l\ . bk s nu & i k gl l f u\ (71)

KEYSCRIPT
pbl. qmv a ck qbl. my sbk, h nu bk s bg. yk jjvlu v bk fu fct. h bk s nu ayk tt qu. (59)

Speedwriting seems to be mainly a handwritten shorthand. The 't' is not crossed, hence its representation, here, by 'l'. Nor is the 'i' dotted, though of course when typing it, I had no choice.

http://www.speedwriting.co.uk/

 

 

T-SCRIPT (Keyboard Version)

 

This is a new approach to writing shorthand. A multi-level method designed for different user needs, but using a common core of abbreviation rules. One level for the professional shorthand writer and another, Alpha-level, for occasional note-taking at meetings and in classes. The Keyboard version can be typed on a standard computer keyboard. This is a simple and versatile method for the twenty-first century.     (348) 

ts s a nu aprj t rtg zothd. a m-lvl mtd dsnd f dfrn usr nds, b usg a cmn co o abrvz rls. 1 lvl f e prfzl zothd rtr a antr, alflvl=, f oczl notkg a mtgs a n clss. e kebod= vez c b tpd on a stndrd cptr kebod. ts s a smpl a vestl mtd f e 21st sn.    (180)

KEYSCRIPT

es a nu ic trtg xjhx.  a cmlq mhd dsx q dqx yw nds e ysg a cn kr v bvc rls.  wn lq qifcl xjhx rh anh lf lq q kcl x tkg t ygs an ao.  h kxb vrc kb ti o a znepue kxb.  es a smi a vrstl mhd q21e sxr.    (138)

(Please note that the information given here relates to T-Script.)

http://www.t-script.co.uk/tscript.php

The following example was very kindly sent by Aapeli from Italy:

DUTTON SPEEDWORDS

Thank you also for the information which you have kindly given to my mother tonight. It will be better for mother, of course, if she does not go back to your place there until Saturday.  (151)

Gra v ai f l if qu v h gui da a ji mer cdex. T r e su f mer na x sh n go ba a vi ep iro bev D7.  (63)

 

KEYSCRIPT

hu uj qnfc cuv kxl g tm mh tnt.  tlb be q mh vkrs fjdsx g bk tr is o xl wtd.  (54)

 

Dutton SpeedWords works both as a shorthand system and as an international auxiliary language.

 

Teach yourself Dutton SpeedWords", by Reginald Dutton, the English Universities Press Ltd. (p.30).

BRIEF LONGHAND

Man is, by nature, an active being.  He is made to labor.  His whole organization, mental and physical, is that of a hard-working being.  Of his mental powers we have no conception, but as certain capacities of intellectual action.  His corporeal faculties are contrived for the same end, with

astonishing variety of adaptation.  Who can look only at the muscles of the hand, and doubt that man was made to work?  Who can be conscious of judgment, memory, and reflection, and doubt that man was made to act?   (414)

Man s, b ntr, a actv bng.  H s mde t labr.  S whole orgnztn,. mntl & phscl, s tt v a hrd-wrkng bng.  V s mntl powrs w h n cncptn- bt z crtn cpcts v intllctl actn.  S corprl faclts r cntrvd f e sme end, w astnshng vrty v adpttn.  W- c look only -t e muscles v e hnd, & dbt tl man w mde t wrk?  W- c b cnscious v jdgmnt, mmry, & rflctn, & dbt tt man w mde t act?  (267) 
 
KEYSCRIPT
mn s b ne a av bg.  is y tli.  s l lgc mne a fsa s i v a xh wog bg.  vs mne prs wv nspc e s xsn kpsts v neal kjn.  s krprl fats leq qsm x c enjg vrt v dptc.  h k lk nl tmsls v hx a ew i mn z y two, h kbjj vjjx mmr a rqkc a ew i mn z y t a,   (161)

http://www.archive.org/stream/brieflonghand00grahiala/brieflonghand00grahiala_djvu.txt

QUICKHAND

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.

Even though we save money on food, we are constantly spending over our heads.

Give everyone in the house a bag of candy, some cookies, and a small cup of ice cream.

Let's have dinner this evening at 6.00.    (220)

nou is the tim for al good men to kum to the ad ov thar kuntre.

even\ we sav mune on food, we ar konstantle spend- o our hedz.

giv e in the hous a bag of kande, sum kookez, an a smol kup of iskrem.

les hav diner this even- at 6.   (176)

KEYSCRIPT

w stm q u a mn tc td vo kxr.

vn hwsv mn o fd wlzxl spxg uql hds.

g qwn nhs a bg vknd sm kks a a sml kp v yjam.

qsv dx e vnn t sks.    (92)

https://sites.google.com/site/academicjump/learn-quick-hand-in-three-steps

If anyone has an example of any other alphabetical shorthand system, I would be very happy if you would send it to me, so I can include it here. You can email me at [email protected]  The example must consist of a sentence or sentences like the examples above, not just a list of words, and be capable of being typed on a standard Roman keyboard.  Please include the longhand transcription and the URL or book reference.

The bar graph below shows the percentage saving in writing over longhand of the above alphabetical shorthand systems plus Keyscript, based on the samples.  The percentage saving for Keyscript was calculated using all samples.

61
60
59
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54
53
52
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50
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25
24
23
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21
20
%	Keyscr	Dutton	Person	SuperW	Speedw	TScript	Easysc	AgiliW	BriefL	Qhand

How to read the percentages.

 

*Note: Even though Keyscript saved 61% (actually 60.71%) of the longhand writing over all samples, the following assumes the saving to be 60%.

If there were an alphabetic shorthand system which saved none of the writing, the saving in writing would be 0%, and the system would be identical with longhand.  On the other hand, if there were one which saved 100% of the writing, you would be able to write whole novels in that shorthand without even picking up your pen.  This much is clear, but how can we assess those percentages in between?

 

Let's first take Quickhand, with a saving in writing of 20%.  It may seem that Keyscript with a saving of 60% saves three times as much of the writing as does Quickhand, but this is not true.

 

Let's take our first theoretical system again, the one that saves 0% of the writing.  How many times as much of the writing does Keyscript save compared with System 0%?  The result is 60/0 = infinity, which is incalculable.  And we would get the same result (infinity) from comparing any of the other systems with System 0%.

 

But System 0% does not save any of the writing over longhand, so we could say System 0% = longhand, so System 0% / longhand = 1.  Taking longhand as 1, Quickhand (which is system 20%) saves 1¼ times as much as longhand.  (We work out the percentage this way:  1¼/1 = 5/4.  5-4=1.  1/5=20%.)  Keyscript (system 60%) saves 2½ times as much as longhand.  (Working out the percentage:  2½/1 = 5/2.  5-2=3.  3/5 = 60%.) 

 

But a saving of 2½ times as much longhand is not twice a saving of 1¼ times as much as longhand, any more than a 60% saving is three times a 20% saving.  1¼ times as much as longhand is only ¼ times more than longhand, whereas 2½ times as much as longhand is 1½ times more than longhand.  1½ times = 6 x ¼ times.  So the saving in writing with Keyscript is not twice, not three times, but six times the saving in writing with Quickhand.

 

Similarly, Easyscript with a saving of 41% saves 1.7 times as much as longhand, which is 0.7 times more than longhand.  (Working back to the percentage, 1.7/1.  1.7-1=0.7.  0.7/1.7 = 41%.)   We know that Keyscript saves 1.5 times more than longhand, so Keyscript is just over twice as quick to write as Easyscript.

Lastly, SuperWrite with a saving of 50% of the writing saves 2.0 times as much as longhand, which is 1.0 times more than longhand.  (Again the maths:  2/1.  2-1=1.  1/2=50%.)  Does Keyscript with a saving of 60% save 10% more than this?  No.  Keyscript saves 1.5 times more than longhand.  SuperWrite saves 1.0 times more than longhand.  So Keyscript saves 1.5-1.0 = 0.5.  0.5/1.5 = 1/3 or just over 33%, not 10%, more of the writing than SuperWrite.