Stenotype Machine

Stenotype Machine 

a typewriter for recording shorthand that uses standard printed letters and combinations of two or more letters, known as accords, instead of specialized shorthand signs. When a key is struck or several are struck simultaneously, the stenotype machinetypes letters on a strip of paper several cm in width; only one letter or one accord is printed on each line.

For purposes of speed, the keyboard of the stenotype machine has a limited set of letters. Letters for which there are no keys are represented by accords, for example, the letter B is represented by VM, and the letter Sh by TVM. The recording speed of stenotype machines reaches 120 words and more a minute. By eliminating the problem of individual differences in handwritten shorthand, the use of printed letters enables any trained person to transcribe the recorded material accurately.

Stenotype machines are not in wide use. With the development of magnetic recording and, in particular, with the invention of dictaphones, the manufacture of stenotype machines ceased in the 1950’s.