My best guess is that the phonetic system used in the Anniversary manuals comes from traditional English dictionary notation that was common in the early 20th century. Systems like Webster’s dictionaries used similar diacritical marks (ă, ä, ā, ŭ, o͝o, o͞o) to indicate vowel pronunciation. It was probably adopted to help shorthand learners recognize sounds more precisely, rather than relying on inconsistent English spelling. I’m not 100% sure if Gregg himself chose this system or if it was a standard at the time, but it seems to align with phonetic notation from older pronunciation guides.
Hey Kyle, Thanks for taking the time to leave a note!
From my understanding… some people pronounce it like “K-ah-m” instead of “k-ah-l-m”, so that is the convention used. You are most certainly free to add the L curve if that makes sense to you and helps you differentiate.
I am from Washington State, and I have definitely heard it both ways. I generally default to which ever one is easier/has fewer characters to write.
Hi,
Do you know the origin of the phonetic system used in Anniversary manuals? ă ä ā ŭ o͝o o͞o etc.
My best guess is that the phonetic system used in the Anniversary manuals comes from traditional English dictionary notation that was common in the early 20th century. Systems like Webster’s dictionaries used similar diacritical marks (ă, ä, ā, ŭ, o͝o, o͞o) to indicate vowel pronunciation. It was probably adopted to help shorthand learners recognize sounds more precisely, rather than relying on inconsistent English spelling. I’m not 100% sure if Gregg himself chose this system or if it was a standard at the time, but it seems to align with phonetic notation from older pronunciation guides.
Hey,
Maybe this will be touched upon later, but for the ä as in 'calm', how come the 'L' is left out?
I'm wondering if this is just a pronunciation difference between you and I, because I pronounce the L a good bit in this word.
Can I ask where you are from?
*Great lesson! Glad to have joined!
Hey Kyle, Thanks for taking the time to leave a note!
From my understanding… some people pronounce it like “K-ah-m” instead of “k-ah-l-m”, so that is the convention used. You are most certainly free to add the L curve if that makes sense to you and helps you differentiate.
I am from Washington State, and I have definitely heard it both ways. I generally default to which ever one is easier/has fewer characters to write.
Got it. Thanks for the clarification!