Skratkas

Skratkas are a type of informal shorthand commonly used in informal note-taking, particularly in academic or journalistic settings. They are characterized by abbreviations, contractions, and the omission of certain letters or syllables to speed up writing. The term "skratka" itself is of Slavic origin, meaning "shortening" or "abbreviation."

The primary purpose of skratkas is to increase the speed at which information can be recorded. This is especially useful during lectures, interviews, or while observing rapidly unfolding events where verbatim transcription is impractical. Skratkas can be highly personal, with individuals developing their own unique systems of symbols and shortened words.

While there are no universally standardized skratkas, common practices include:

- Dropping vowels (e.g., "mkt" for "market").

- Using symbols for common words or phrases (e.g., "&" for "and", "w/" for "with", "b/c" for "because").

- Employing suffixes or prefixes to indicate common grammatical forms (e.g., "-ing" for present participles).

- Using numbers to represent words (e.g., "2" for "to" or "too").

The effectiveness of skratkas relies on the note-taker's ability to quickly recall and expand upon their shortened notes later. They are generally not intended for communication with others unless a shared system has been established. While efficient for capturing raw information, skratkas often require subsequent deciphering and elaboration to form coherent and complete records.