Dutton Speedwords
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Discospinster
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Ctytippett|Ctytippett]] to last version by Discospinster (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
'''Dutton Speedwords''' ([[ISO 639-3]]: ''dws''), sometimes called '''''rapmotz''''', is an international [[auxiliary language]] as well a [[shorthand]] writing system. It was invented by [[Reginald J. G. Dutton]] (1886-1970) in 1922. It was first published in 1935 under the title ''International Symbolic Script'' and a year later using the name ''Speedwords''. Revisions were made and published in 1946 and 1951.
The dual function of being both an international language and a shorthand system was intended as a way of encouraging more people to see the value of the method. The original Dutton Speedwords manuals are now out of print, but the method has seen a revival since the start of the 21st century, as its applications on online work have become noted, such as the benefit of using a shorthand method for typing e-mail.
Unlike other shorthand methods, such as [[Isaac Pitman|Pitman's]] shorthand, the Speedwords method uses ordinary Roman letters to represent the [[semantic]] qualities of words rather than using new symbols. This makes it not only easier to learn, but means it can be typed using a normal keyboard. Each word has only one meaning, so the need for grammar is reduced.
The vocabulary of Speedwords uses many international words and compressed forms of the writer's own language.
Dutton conceived Speedwords not only as a system of shorthand but as an auxiliary spoken language; thus, he also provided rules of pronunciation. As a written system only, it is interesting to compare Speedwords to the shorthands used in [[Short message service|mobile phone text messages]].
The principle behind the choice of word roots of Dutton Speedwords is the maxim that frequently-used words should be shorter than seldom-used words in order to speed up communication (see [[information theory]]). Thus, there are 493 one-, two- and three-letter roots. For example, the top twelve most frequently used English words are listed below with their single-letter Dutton Speedword equivalents:
:the -- ''l''
:of -- ''d''
:and -- ''&''
:to -- ''a''
:in -- ''i''
:a -- ''u''
:that -- ''k''
:is -- ''e''
:was -- ''y''
:he -- ''s''
:for -- ''f''
:it -- ''t''
Some two- and three-letter words are
:good -- ''gu''
:know -- ''sa''
:love -- ''am''
:beautiful -- ''bel''
:language -- ''lin''
:game, play -- ''lud''
The few hundred roots are combined through the use of affixes to expand vocabulary. For example: the affix ''-a'' indicates an unfavorable connotation to the root-word; thus, ''bixy'' = kill, ''bixya'' = murder. Some compounds appear fanciful, or at least not immediately transparent, such as ''ky + luf'' (eat + air) to mean "picnic". Grammatical features include the use of single letters (as opposed to verb conjugations) to indicate tense; the letter ''r'' indicates future tense and ''y'' indicates past. Thus, ''j sa'' = I know, ''j ysa'' = I knew, ''j r sa'' = I will know. Nouns and verbs have the same form ( as do many English words: the light, I light, etc.) as do adverbs and adjectives (''bel'' = "beautiful" and "beautifully"). Compounds follow a headnoun-modifier sequence, as in ''ca + dor'' (room + sleep) = bedroom.
==External links==
*[http://www2.cmp.uea.ac.uk/~jrk/conlang.dir/Speedwords.dict "Dutton Speedwords Dictionary" ] transcribed by Richard Kennaway - approximately 3 000 Dutton Speedwords
*[http://www.kafejo.com/lingvoj/auxlangs/dws/tral/index.php Dutton Speedwords Translator]
*[http://www.geocities.com/newcongress/index.htm Official Dutton Speedwords site]
*[http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/2464/ Rap Lin Rie] - history of Speedwords and further information
*[http://www.carolandray.plus.com/Briefscript/ObjAndDesign.html Piashi] - a modern speedwords derivative
*[http://jonaquino.blogspot.com/2007/06/yublin-shorthand-for-speed-writing.html Yublin] - a shorthand based on similar principles, but optimized for notetaking compression rather than international dialogue
[[Category:Shorthand systems]]
[[Category:Constructed languages]]
[[Category:International auxiliary languages]]
[[eo:Rapidvortoj]]
[[it:Dutton World Speedwords]]
[[simple:Dutton's Speedwords]]