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.
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.