How to Write the Minimal Alphabet

By Austin Hackney
What is The Minimal Alphabet?

The Minimal Alphabet is a system of shorthand writing - or a

secret code if you want to make it more exciting - that was
devised by David Conant.
His original intention was really just to do it for the fun of it.
It was later that he discovered that it can be a very useful
tool for speed writing or encoding messages.
It is an alternative alphabet for the English language.
Secret Code. The Minimal Alphabet.

This is written in The Minimal Alphabet' a form of short hand or secret code invented by David Conant.
Source: Austin Hackney (author)
How Do You Use The Minimal Alphabet?

David Conant used the Minimum Alphabet to write all sorts of

things from grocery lists, to study notes and secret letters
between himself and his friends.
You can use it mostly for fun, as he did, or you can use it as a
form of shorthand, quick note-taking or perhaps to keep your
private journal...well, private!
People who enjoy the Minimal Alphabet are:
·         Kids who want to write in a secret language.
·         Students who want to take quick notes in class.
·         Lovers who want to send secret messages.
·         Busy professionals who need to take minutes, make
memos or summarize talks.
Essentially, you can use the minimal alphabet in any way you
want. Its main advantages are that it is easy to learn and can
help you to write quickly - and secretly, of course.
What Is Shorthand Writing?

Shorthand writing is a standardized, abbreviated symbolic

method of writing designed to increase speed and brevity
when writing by hand. It is most commonly employed by
people in secretarial positions, the police force and others
who may find it useful.
There are readily available professional level courses in
shorthand writing both at colleges and on line.
Below is an example of standard English shorthand writing.
Shorthand Writing Example

A sample of a standard shorthand writing text.

Source: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Why Use The Minimal Alphabet?

You may be wondering why you should use The Minimal

Alphabet when there is traditional shorthand for almost every
language?
What's with The Minimal Alphabet?
It's true that writing shorthand is very similar in that it is a
series of abbreviated symbols. However, it is quite a complex
phonetic system - almost a language in its own right, with its
own peculiarities of grammar and syntax. If you want to take
shorthand seriously - by which I mean you need a
professional qualification in shorthand note-taking - then the
accredited qualification in a recognized shorthand will be
necessary.
However, if you don't need the qualification, just the capacity,
then the Minimal Alphabet is easier to learn by far and of
course - it is not so widely used so it is much better for
secrecy!
Here is an example of The Minimal Alphabet, which you will
see is much easier as it is simply a transliteration of the
English alphabet:
An Example Of The Minimal Alphabet

An example of the minimal alphabet. Can you tell what it says?

Source: Austin Hackney (author)

The above text, written in The Minimal Alphabet simply says:

"Can you read this?"
Well, of course, unless you already know the alphabet, you
won't have been able to read it. In a moment, I'll show you
how to write The Minimal Alphabet but first let's just look at
how it was created.
How Was The Minimal Alphabet Invented?

When David Conant set about creating this form of writing he

wanted to render the English alphabet in a manner that was
reduced to the simplest possible forms.
So, in creating The Minimal Alphabet, he sought to:
·         represent the letters as simply as possible
·         make each letter readily distinguishable from the
others
·         create symbols that formed easy blocks of letters
·         create a form of writing that was attractive to the eye
In order to do this he decided, after some experimentation, to
form the letters as
·         line segments (straight line sections)
·         slightly curved lines
·         a dot
·         diagonals
·         circles
Being a linguist, he also considered the relative frequency of
occurrence of each of the letters in the English language. The
rule is that the most frequently occurring are given the
easiest symbols and those less frequently occurring, the
slightly more complex. So, for example, the most common
letter in English spelling - the letter 'E' - is represented in The
Minimal Alphabet by a simple little dot. The letter 'X' which is
hardly used at all, is given the symbol '0'
But he took it further than that. He also considered secondary
letter distribution.This is one of the details that makes the
alphabet so functional and attractive to use. Fundamentally, it
means that he worked out for each letter, a compatible shape
that could represent the four letters most likely to follow it. In
this way, once the alphabet is committed to memory, it
becomes a very intuitive form of writing - which means it is
quick to learn and easy to use.
When writing with The Minimal Alphabet, the words are
rendered in their simplest form without punctuation or
capitalization. The only convention maintained is that of
leaving a space between each word.
So, let's take a look at it. I've written it out for you below:
How To Write The Minimal Alphabet

The Minimal Alphabet is easier than the standard shorthand because it is based on the English alphabet rather than on a
phonetic system.
Source: Austin Hackney (author)

The Stacking Minimal Alphabet

This is the only aspect of the Minimal Alphabet that might at

first seem a bit more complicated. In fact, it makes the
writing easier and the appearance more beautiful.
To keep it simple, David chose only a very few character
shapes. For this reason similar shapes - say a dash or a curve
or a line - are are distinguished by their relative vertical
position.
The vertical segments are divided into three:
·         Upper Segment
·         Middle Segment
·         Lower Segment.
So, the positioning of the symbol in the lower, middle or
upper segment changes the letter it represents.
For example, a short vertical line inscribed in the lower
segment signifies the letter 'A'
However, the same mark inscribed in the upper segment
means an 'I'.
Another example worth noting is that the horizontal line
means 'D' if positioned in the upper segment and 'T' in the
middle segment, and an 'R' if placed in the lower segment.
The most common letter in the English language, 'E' - is
signified by a dot and can occur in any and all segments.
This is how the letters are divided between the segments:
·         Upper segment: C D E H I L M P U Y
·         Middle segment: ET
·         Lower segment: A E F G K N O R S V
Those letters used less commonly in English, which are B J Q
W X Z have been designated larger shapes that occupy all
three segments.
These letters are always written on their own.
Given the three different vertical segments used in this form
of writing, there is the convention of 'stacking' certain letters,
one on top of the other.
The stacking factor simply makes the writing more
economical in terms of space. There are many and various
possible stacking combinations that you might use when
writing with The Minimal Alphabet. There are no rules
especially and the 'E' dot can be placed wherever it seems to
make most sense, or if sense is not an issue, wherever it is
most aesthetically pleasing.
Minimal Number System

The numbers of the minimal system are designed to be intuitive and simple to use in combination with the letters of the minimal
alphabet.
Source: Austin Hackney (author)

Using Minimal Numbers

Almost as an after thought, David Conant also created a

number system based on the same principles as those that he
used to determine The Minimal Alphabet.
It is pretty straight forward and is shown above.
The figures are designed to work well in conjunction with The
Minimal Alphabet.
Translate the Minimal Alphabet

Now it's time for you to have a go at translating The Minimal

Alphabet! Using the information provided in this article, see if
you can translate the text below. As with normal written
English, the text is laid out in lines and read from left to right.
CLUE: it is a very famous statement from The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.

Source: Austin Hackney (author)

Did you manage to translate it? Then write your translation of

the text from above in the space below!
Well done!