The Phonetics of Gregg Shorthand

I started getting into hand stenography after learning Plover. What I looked for in a writing system mirrored what I loved about machine steno:

• As phonetic as possible
• Consistent and predictable to learn
• Fast

I also added criteria:

• Beautiful
• Fluid

Gregg shorthand met all of these, and more. The choice of curves and lines follows a host of predictable phonetic rules and (at least to me) seems to even echo the physiology of producing the respective sounds. See below for some of the basic phonetic symbols. The line shape mimics the tongue position and the length indicates voicing (short for unvoiced, long for voiced).

Letter Sound	Tongue Position	Voiced	Symbol
R	short under-curve, sides touching palette	yes
L	long under-curve, tip touching palette	yes
K	arch to pallete	no
G	arch to pallete	yes
T	diagonal up to teeth	no
D	diagonal up to teeth	yes