Continuing along in Simplified, I was exposed to the jent blend for the first time today. By itself it seems like jent/jend isn't too bad, but then it can also be pend/pent. And in the same lesson is the "other" stroke that can be def/dif, div/dev and -- last but not least -- tive/tif... wow, that's a lot of sounds for one stroke to represent.
I can imagine how these add speed to writing, since both are simple strokes and probably cover a lot of words. But as a student experiencing it for the first time, it's intimidating. My first reading exercise with these required a lot more effort to decipher the outlines with these strokes, since they can have so many meanings.
I suppose at first exposure, rd/ld seemed like they would be tricky but really weren't. Then nt/mt proved the same with a little bit of practice. So maybe the jent and def blends will quickly become friends. But it sure doesn't feel that way right now!
I'd also think that this makes context particularly important when deciphering a jent or a def, because so many potential sounds are covered by them. I know the argument that everyone can still read old manuals and the Anniversary fiction after decades have passed; but that is prose. I want to use Gregg for journal entries, and to-do lists (especially at work) where I may not have so much context available to read my stuff.
I think I read on here that the jent blend was removed after Simplified? I can see why, especially if def went with it. I may feel differently a week from now, but at the moment.... sigh! :)
And just for contrast: I've thought about Anni's reversed circles for R and seen it in a few places, and despite it's reputation for difficulties it doesn't seem to awful to me. It clicked when someone here described it as writing the vowel as if you were going to write an R but then don't write the R.Labels: blends, general, reversedcircle, simplified