Fundamentals of Pitman Vowel Placement
In Pitman Shorthand, stroke position relative to the notebook line indicates the first vowel sound in a word. Mastering line positions ensures high reading accuracy during transcription.
The Three Line Positions Breakdown
| Position Name | Line Placement | First Vowel Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Position | Above the Line | Long AH (ä), Short A (ă), Long AW (aaw), Short O (ŏ) | Pal, At, Saw, Not |
| Second Position | On the Line | Long AY (ā), Short E (ĕ), Long OH (ō), Short U (ŭ) | Pay, Pen, Go, Up |
| Third Position | Through the Line | Long EE (ē), Short I (ĭ), Long OO (ōō), Short OO (ŏŏ) | Tea, It, Too, Book |
Practice Pitman Outlines
Build your shorthand vocabulary. Practice drawing clean, fast Pitman outlines.