There are a small number of brief words in our language, mostly one-syllabled, whose frequent occurrence and consequent rapid utterance precludes the possibility of writing them, even phonetically, as fast as they can be spoken. To provide for such emergencies, all methods of shorthand writing employ brief arbitrary characters called Word-Signs, some phonographies containing long lists of them. But, because of a better construction of principles, Haven's Practical Phonography requires only fifteen such arbitrary characters, all of which are contained in the following list: