November's CRR

November's CRR exam's topic was on Alzheimer's.  The words given were Roger Roman and cognitive.  What a test!  Speed not too shabby.  Definitely a test on soundalikes or potential stenonyms.  From memory, hopefully...

For example:

Plane  PHRAEPB v. Plain PHRAEUPB
pace   PAEUS v. paste PAEFT
escorts SKORTS v. skorts (that's my theory anyway) v. comports if one uses KP- for the initial X.

Steno Wizard has many one-word steno strokes for multisyllabic words that were on the test.  Check these out: 

Family TPAEPL
Pilot PAOEULT
Stumbles STUFRBLZ
Memory PHERPL
Symptoms STOPLZ
Progression PROGS
Cognitive KOFGT

As Mentioned in Yesterday's Post, Here's Some Awesome Examples of the Advantages of the Imaginary Shift Key

The Steno Keyboard Shift Key

Steno Wizard uses this idea to distinguish proper names from their soundalikes and stenonyms.

Examples such as Bill/bill, Tammy/team, Mark/mark, Todd/-ed to/today, Phil/fill.  More examples to come.

Resolving barb, garb, carb stenonyms

Steno Wizard has to use a memory trick to resolve these stenonyms.  Bash and barb from theory days were stroked the same -- PWARB -- as well as gash and garb --TKPWARB.  By creating a mental picture of the resolution, inserting a U in the word with the RB that means RB and not SH, Steno Wizard has been able to stroke these consistently for realtime.

Steno Wizard visualized barb as soldiers crawling Under barbed wire, so it was easy to remember to insert the U in the stroke.  Now, Barb, the shortened nickname for Barbara, gets the asterisk because Steno Wizard has made it a theory principle to insert asterisks for proper names that need resolution.

Steno Wizard visualized garb as Undies, and so the U is inserted into the stroke for garb TKPWAURB.

For the cash/cache/carb problem, cash is still stroked KARB.  Cache is stroked as it's spelled KAERB (kind of).  Carb gets the U based on the theory that barb and garb get U's inserted into them too.  Of course, we could think of the word carburetor and the U that's in the middle of that word if it helps.

Picture it: Rain, Rein, and Reign

Resolving the rain/rein/reign conflict has been particularly bothersome for Steno Wizard.  It took some doing to get this trio worked out, and Steno Wizard is ready to share the method behind the madness. 

Rain is stroked on the steno keyboard as RAEUPB -- like it's spelled.  Simple enough. 

Next, rein as in control or reining in a horse is stroked RAEPB.  Steno Wizard decided to associate the "E" in the stroke for rein RAEPB with the "E" in the word horse.  Sounds crazy, but it's working for the Steno Wizard.

The word reign as in a king who reigns a kingdom is stroked RA*EUPB.  Steno Wizard imagines that the asterisk is the sparkle that is glistening off of the king's crown. 

Try it.  These may actually work for you too.

Picture it: Maid and Made

Steno Wizard has been working on ways to help instantly recall those steno conflict resolutions.

For example, made PHAEUD is obviously common.   A good way to write it might be by the spelling, but it has been so ingrained into the Steno Wizard's writing since theory days that Steno Wizard has a really hard time trying to convince the brain and the fingers to go with PHAED.  So...as a result, Steno Wizard inserts the asterisk key for maid and strokes it PHA*EUD.  Steno Wizard tries to imagine that a maid is working to make things sparkly clean and -- ta-da! -- an asterisk is the answer.   Sure, the word maid doesn't come up much, but we want to have a sure-fire way to KNOW that it's ready when needed, and the ol' brain knows immediately what to instruct the fingers to do.

More phrasing possibilities

Phrasing helps us keep up with fast testimony. 

Here's a few more phrases that are not necessarily Philly but are kind of an offshoot...

Remember the KWRO for I don't on the left-hand side of the keyboard.

KWROD I don't do
KWROEPB I don't even
KWROGT I don't get
KWROFG I don't figure
KWROPBLG I don't imagine
KWROPBLGS I don't imagine so
KWROPL I don't mean
KWROPLTS I don't mean to say
KWROPLD I don't mind

Then the KWRA for I can't phrases...

KWRAT I can't tell
KWRANS I can't answer
KWRAB I can't be

Right-hand side -BL for believe

EU BLS I believe so
UBLS you believe so
SOUBL so you believe

Right-hand side -GT for get

TKUGT did you get
WHUGT when you get
HRUGT will you get

Some Q&A phrases...

RUFPL are you familiar
WRUFPL are you familiar with
WOUPLD would you mind
TKOUPLD do you mind
TKUZ did you see
TKUS did you say

and some other phrases....

TPHURP in your opinion
TPHURPLD in your mind
TPHURPBDZ in your own words
TPHOERDS in other words
OERPBD on the other hand
TOEUPBLG to my knowledge
TAOURPBLG to your knowledge
TOURBGS to your recollection

Enjoy!

A little imagination

Steno Wizard would like to share a favorite brief along with a favorite visualization technique to keep it all straight.

Fiancé TPAE (male)
Fiancée TPA*E (female)

The way to remember which is which is that the girl (fiancee) gets the sparkly diamond ring. Sparkly diamond looks like the asterisk and voila!