Steno Glossary

WIP, Contributions welcome :)

Also found at https://grahp.dev/steno-glossary.

Key

Noun

• An individual key on a steno layout.

Notes

• Some keys share the same name, such as S the starter and -S the ender. These are different keys in different banks that are represented by the same character (S). These keys can be differentiated by their raw steno form, like "S" and "-S".

Chord

Noun

• A set of keys that typically represent some part of a translation.

Notes

• Chords are the building blocks of strokes, and are the smallest meaningful unit in steno.
• Chords are sets of keys, and thus cannot "span" more than one stroke.
  • For example, -G/-R is not a chord, it is an outline made up of 2 strokes, each made up of 1 chord.
• Chords can be composed. Composing 2 chords results in a stroke with the set of keys in the first chord, and keys in the second chord.
• Chords and strokes look identical in raw steno form. The stroke TPH- and the chord TPH- appear the same, but they may be different.
• An example chord might be TPH-, which represents the starting n- sound.
• See stroke for the differences between a stroke and a chord.

Verb

• The act of simultaneously pressing down the set of keys that constitute a chord on a steno machine.
• Often used interchangeably with stroke (specifically as a verb).

Stroke

Noun

• A set of keys, typically constructed out of chords.

Notes

• The differences between a stroke and a chord is that chords typically represent simple translations, such as a sound or orthographic sequence, while strokes are more complex, and exist mostly on their own. Chords are usually combined to form strokes.
• Strokes can be composed together to form outlines.

Verb

• The act of simultaneously pressing down the set of keys that make up a stroke on a steno machine.

Outline

Noun

• A sequence of one or more strokes.

Notes

• Outlines are only sequences of strokes, not chords or keys. It may appear that a key or chord, such as T- or -PBLG are in an outline, but these are actually strokes that contain 1 chord each.
• A stroke may "belong" to multiple outlines. Outlines are not greedy.

Translation

Noun

• Text that may represent a word, phrase, a part of a word or phrase, sound, affix, Plover command, punctuation, or any other arbitrary output.

Notes

• Translations can be concatenated to form new translations.
• Translations are used in entries as their output.

Entry

Noun

• A mapping between an outline and a translation.

Notes

• Typically stored in dictionaries.
• These mappings are specified by theory rules.

Dictionary

Noun

• A collection of entries with unique outlines which maps outlines to translations.

Notes

• A dictionary provides a way to lookup an outline and provide the translation the outline maps to.
• Dictionaries may consist of enumerated entries, and stored in file formats such as JSON or RTF, or entries generated on-the-fly by a programmatic dictionary.
• Because an entry's job is to fulfill a theory rule, dictionaries can be thought of as the realization of a theory.
• What entries a dictionary contains may adapt based on context, see context aware and modal.

Programmatic Dictionary

• A dictionary whose entries are not pre-defined, but generated on-the-fly.

Notes

• Entries are not stored in a file, but given via a lookup function.

Theory Rule

Noun

• A rule defining how to map a given entry to a derived translation.
  • A rule may do this based on phonetics, orthography, shape, or completely arbitrarily.
• A rule that defines all of or some part of how an outline maps to a translation.

Notes

• The constituents of a theory.
• Theory rules vary in how many entries they cover.
  • Most theory rules don't apply to all entries, meaning they will do nothing a lot of the time.

Theory

Noun

• A set of theory rules.

Notes

• Usually has a name (probably bird related for some reason)
• May have learning resources, a wiki, a specification, etc.
• Theories may be designed to work well with other theories (such as a number theory, symbol theory, or movement theory), or to exist independently.

Conflict

Adj.

• An outline that is a conflict.

Noun

• An outline contained in multiple entries.

Notes

• This means the translation you might get from an looking up an outline could be wrong?
  • Or can't be known maybe.
• This comes from theory rules overlapping.
• A dictionary may override an entry from another dictionary, which would cause the entry in the dictionary with higher priority to "shadow" the other entry.

Word Boundary Conflict

Noun

• An outline that can be split into multiple outlines contained in existing entries.

Notes

• Your steno engine must pick one outline?
• There are priorities for how these are avoided

Bank

Noun

• A group of keys that are positioned in a specific area on a steno layout.
  • The banks on the WSI layout are Starters, Vowels, and Enders.

Starter

Noun

• A key, chord, stroke, or outline in the starter bank.

Adj.

• Referring to a key, chord, stroke, or outline being in the starter bank.

Ender

Noun

• A key, chord, stroke, or outline in the ender bank.

Adj.

• Referring to a key, chord, stroke, or outline being in the ender bank.

Vowel

Noun

• A key, chord, stroke, or outline in the vowel bank.

Adj.

• Referring to a key, chord, stroke, or outline being in the vowel bank.

Write-out

• This should talk about how much outlines follow theory rules or like how weird they are.
  • Maybe unify theory rule coverage with this idea?
• TODO an entry that uses rules only?
  • If I split rules and templates, then this is fine I guess?

Brief

Noun

TODO maybe move to conflict and use in theory rule definition?

• Short for abbreviated or abbreviation, An "abbreviated" outline, used to reduce the number of strokes required to output a translation.

Notes

• Defined by theory rules.
• Tends to deviate from most theory rules.

Template

Noun

• A brief that can be broken down into separately-defined rules that typically apply to multiple briefs.

A type of rule?

Arbitrary

Noun

• A brief that is defined by theory rules that are completely arbitrary.

Mandatory

Adj.

• ...

Noun

• A mandatory outline, translation, or entry.

• The only way to output a translation is with an arb.

• A translation with only an arbitrary briefs to output it.

Skeleton (Stroke)

Noun

• A stroke with keys in the starter and ender banks, but no vowels.

Notes

• Skeleton strokes are often used for briefs, as all strokes of all words contain a vowel sound, and thus you will never collide with a real word.

Fingerspelling

Verb

• The use of a fingerspelling theory or dictionary.

Adj.

• A theory or dictionary that mostly outputs autonomous characters. That is, characters that usually exist on their own, but can be joined with other characters to output multiple characters at a time.

Notes

• Differs from orthospelling in that it's mostly done one character at a time.

• Orthospelling theories can also be modal, which fingerspelling theories typically aren't.

Orthospelling

Verb

• The use of an orthospelling theory.

Noun

• An orthospelling theory.
  • Or dict?

Adj.

• Describing a theory rule that is orthographic.
• Describing a theory that is composed of orthographic theory rules.
• Orthospelling theories are about composing orthographic sequences as opposed to letters.

Modal

Adj.

• A characteristic of a theory where theory rules can change depending on the current active mode?
• A characteristic of a dictionary where outlines can refer to different translations depending on the current active mode.

Notes

• TODO There is typically a stroke or dedicated key used to switch between modes.
• A dedicated key might also denote that just this stroke is in a different mode.

Raw Steno

Adj.

• Describing a key, chord, stroke, or outline represented in raw steno form.

Noun

• The format for representing keys, chords, strokes, and outlines in textual form.

Notes

• Includes non-keys such as - to denote the lack of keys in the vowel bank, and / to denote the start of a new stroke.
• Raw steno is ambiguous. T- could refer to the starter T-, the chord containing only the starter T-, the stroke constructed of only the chord containing only the starter T-, or the outline consisting of only the stroke constructed of only the chord containing only the starter T-.
• Keys in strokes appear in steno order.

Untranslate / Untranslated Stroke / Untran

Noun

• An outline that does not appear in any entry. Typically outputted as the outline's raw steno form.

Steno Layout

I have no idea lmao.

• Not a physical thing

A set of keys? In different banks?

Steno Order

Noun

• The order in which keys are?
• The order in which keys are displayed?
• It's not just about human consumption, it's also about chords and how chords can compose with each other except for when it's not...
• As defined by steno layout
• Used in theories for something.

Notes

• Raw steno displays keys in strokes and outlines in this order.
  • Steno order is often display like this, such as #STKPWHRAO*EUFRPBLGTSDZ

WSI Layout

a steno layout

Extended Stenotype Layout

another steno layout, but this one has 2 more keys :)

Steno Machine

• A chorded stenographic input device.

Notes

• Refers to both professional and hobbyist keyboards.

Steno Writer

• A professional steno machine. (the machine isn't professional the user is ._.)

Steno Keyboard / Hobbyist machine

• A steno machine made for hobbyists.
• Not a dedicated machine, just a keyboard.

Steno Engine

Allows dictionaries to work? Provides many other facilities around steno?

Plover

Free and Open Source steno engine

Notes

• Download Plover - https://github.com/openstenoproject/plover/releases/latest.
• Plover Wiki Beginner's Guide - https://plover.wiki/index.php/Beginner%27s_Guide.

Other Sources

• Plover Wiki Glossary - https://plover.wiki/index.php/Glossary
• Steno Explainers - https://sammdot.ca/steno/explainers
• Lapwing Glossary - https://lapwing.aerick.ca/Glossary.html#steno-theory
• Learn Plover! Glossary - https://www.openstenoproject.org/learn-plover/glossary.html
• StudySteno Glossary - https://studysteno.com/moo/mod/glossary/view.php?id=22
• Plover Wiki Steno Hardware Terminology - https://plover.wiki/index.php/Steno_hardware_terminology

Terms not covered here:

• Vernon Court Reporters Transcription & Court Reporting Glossary - https://academy.vernoncourtreporters.com/

TODO

• Folding
• Dropping
• Clip-on
• Phrasing
• Plover Command
• Syllabic Splitting
• Paper tape
• Pseudosteno