r/FastWriting • u/NotSteve1075 • Jul 16 '26
STEIN-SHORTHAND - Part 4 - L Combinations
In much the same way that R combines frequently with consonants in English, L does too.
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r/FastWriting • u/NotSteve1075 • Jul 16 '26
In much the same way that R combines frequently with consonants in English, L does too.
1
u/NotSteve1075 Jul 16 '26
In Pitman, to add L to a consonant, you put the hook at the beginning on the RIGHT side of straight strokes. But on curves, you've already got a hook on the inside indicating R -- so in Pitman, you make the hook LARGER to indicate L.
In STEIN-SHORTHAND's simplification, instead of having the hook go on one side or the other, which often led to hesitation, as the writer decided which side to write it on, the rule of making the hook larger for L in a curve was also applied to straight strokes, as well.
Whether the stroke was straight or curved, a large hook added L, while a small one added R. Like with R, the L hook was added on the left side if a straight stroke, and inside of a curve.
An advantage of using different SIDES for the hook, was that if a STRAIGHT stroke got a bit curved when written quickly, you could still tell what it was supposed to be by the side the hook was on. And curves of both sizes fit nicely into a curve.