Stenography is the practice of writing in shorthand. Its spelling can be traced back to the Greek words "stenos," meaning narrow, and "graphia," meaning writing. The correct pronunciation of stenography is [sten-og-ruh-fee], with the accent on the second syllable. The "og" sound in the second syllable is pronounced like "ahg," which is represented by the IPA symbol [ɑɡ]. The final "y" is pronounced as "ee," represented by the IPA symbol [i].
Stenography is the practice or art of writing in shorthand, which involves the use of abbreviated symbols or characters to record speech or dictate information quickly and efficiently. It is a method of rapid writing that enables a stenographer to transcribe spoken words and conversations at a much higher speed than regular longhand or typing.
In stenography, symbols or characters are used to represent phonetic sounds, words, phrases, or even entire sentences. This allows the stenographer to capture the essence of spoken communication, including essential details and key points, while omitting unnecessary words or fillers. Stenography can be used across various contexts where accurate and efficient transcription is required, including courtrooms, business meetings, public speeches, and press conferences.
The discipline of stenography demands considerable skill, training, and practice to master. Stenographers must be adept at accurately interpreting spoken language, memorizing a vast number of shorthand symbols, and operating specialized stenotype machines or computer programs designed for stenographic writing. These machines often consist of fewer keys than a standard keyboard and utilize combinations of key presses to represent various sounds or words.
Overall, stenography is a crucial skill that enhances the efficiency and accuracy of written transcripts or records by significantly reducing the time required to transcribe spoken content. It plays an essential role in legal proceedings, journalism, and any other setting where capturing and documenting spoken information swiftly is a necessity.
The art of writing very expeditiously by using simple signs and abbreviations; shorthand.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "stenography" is derived from the Greek words "stenos" meaning "narrow" or "small", and "graphē" meaning "writing" or "to write". It literally translates to "narrow writing" or "small writing".