The system was intended to beis a standardised form of abbreviation, requiring great mastery of recall. For example, ak stands for "acknowledge" and all its derivations. Although it is generally slower to write in than more abbreviated forms of shorthand such as [[Gregg shorthand|Gregg]] and [[Pitman shorthand|Pitman]],<ref name=comp/> it remains closer to alphabetic orthography. For example,
Although the system is generally slower to write in than more traditional shorthand styles such as [[Gregg shorthand|Gregg]] or [[Pitman shorthand|Pitman's shorthand]],<ref name=comp/> it remains closer to alphabetic orthography.
