The Pitman Vowel Scheme
Understand the classic mnemonic: "Pa may we all go too, that pen is not much good" and place vowels accurately.
Overview
Vowels in Pitman shorthand are represented by dots and dashes placed beside consonant strokes. There are 6 long vowels (heavy signs) and 6 short vowels (light signs). The position of the vowel indicator relative to the stroke dictates the vowel sound.
Key Rules to Remember
- ✓Vowel positions: 1st Place = Beginning of stroke, 2nd Place = Middle of stroke, 3rd Place = End of stroke.
- ✓Heavy Dots: 1st place = AH (Pa), 2nd place = AY (May), 3rd place = EE (We).
- ✓Heavy Dashes: 1st place = AW (All), 2nd place = OH (Go), 3rd place = OO (Too).
- ✓Light Dots: 1st place = A (That), 2nd place = E (Pen), 3rd place = I (Is).
- ✓Light Dashes: 1st place = O (Not), 2nd place = U (Much), 3rd place = OO (Good).
Detailed Pitman Rules
Vowel Placement Before and After Consonants
When a vowel is heard BEFORE a downward consonant, place the vowel sign on the LEFT. When heard AFTER, place it on the RIGHT.
Horizontal Consonant Vowel Placement
For horizontal strokes (K, G, M, N), vowels heard BEFORE are placed ABOVE; vowels heard AFTER are placed BELOW.