Master Pitman Shorthand with These Free PDF Books
Pitman Shorthand Book Free Download PDF: A Guide for Beginners
If you are looking for a fast and efficient way to take notes, write reports, or transcribe speeches, you might want to consider learning Pitman Shorthand. Pitman Shorthand is a system of writing that uses symbols to represent sounds, rather than letters to represent words. It can help you write up to 250 words per minute, which is much faster than the average typing speed of 40 words per minute.
pitman shorthand book free download pdf
In this article, we will explain what Pitman Shorthand is, how it works, and how you can learn it. We will also provide you with some free resources and books that you can download as PDF files to start your learning journey. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of Pitman Shorthand and how it can benefit you.
What is Pitman Shorthand?
Pitman Shorthand is a system of writing that was invented by Sir Isaac Pitman in the 19th century. It is based on the idea that words are made up of sounds, not letters. Therefore, instead of writing each letter of a word, you write a symbol that represents the sound of that word. For example, the word "cat" has three sounds: /k/, /a/, and /t/. In Pitman Shorthand, you would write these three symbols:
As you can see, each symbol has a different shape, size, position, and direction. These are the four factors that determine the meaning of each symbol in Pitman Shorthand. By combining different symbols, you can create words, phrases, sentences, and even paragraphs.
The history and benefits of Pitman Shorthand
Pitman Shorthand was developed by Sir Isaac Pitman, an English teacher and publisher, in 1837. He was inspired by the idea of phonetic writing, which means writing according to the sounds of speech. He wanted to create a system that would allow people to write as fast as they speak, without losing any information or clarity.
Pitman Shorthand became very popular in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially among journalists, secretaries, court reporters, and students. It was widely used in schools, offices, courts, and newspapers. It was also adopted by many famous people, such as Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Mahatma Gandhi, and Arthur Conan Doyle.
Some of the benefits of Pitman Shorthand are:
It can help you write faster and more accurately than longhand or typing.
It can help you improve your listening and memory skills.
It can help you save time and space when taking notes or writing documents.
It can help you develop your concentration and focus.
It can help you protect your privacy and confidentiality.
The basic principles and rules of Pitman Shorthand
Pitman Shorthand is based on some basic principles and rules that you need to learn and follow in order to write correctly and efficiently. Here are some of them:
Pitman Shorthand is phonetic, which means you write what you hear, not what you see. For example, you write "f" for "phone", not "ph".
Pitman Shorthand is alphabetic, which means each symbol represents a sound or a group of sounds. For example, "b" represents /b/, "ch" represents /tʃ/, and "sh" represents /ʃ/.
Pitman Shorthand is linear, which means you write from left to right on a horizontal line. You do not lift your pen or pencil until you finish a word or a phrase.
Pitman Shorthand is positional, which means the position of each symbol on the line indicates its vowel sound. For example,
Pitman Shorthand is directional, which means the direction of each symbol indicates its consonant sound. For example,
A vertical stroke downward represents /p/ or /b/.
A horizontal stroke from left to right represents /t/ or /d/.
A curved stroke clockwise represents /k/ or /g/.
A curved stroke counterclockwise represents /f/ or /v/.
The thickness of each symbol indicates whether it is voiced or unvoiced. For example,
A thin stroke represents an unvoiced sound such as /p/, /t/, /k/, or /f/.
A thick stroke represents a voiced sound such as /b/, /d/, /g/, or /v/.
How to Learn Pitman Shorthand?
If you are interested in learning Pitman Shorthand, you will need some resources and books that will guide you through the process. Fortunately, there are many free resources and books that you can download as PDF files online. Here are some of the best ones:
The best resources and books for learning Pitman Shorthand
Learn Pitman English Shorthand (free download pdf file)
This is a comprehensive book that covers all the aspects of Pitman Shorthand. It has 787 pages with clear explanations, examples, exercises, and answers. It also has a dictionary section with over 20,000 words in shorthand form. You can download this book for free from this link:
Learn Pitman English Shorthand (free download pdf file)
Pitmans Shorthand Dictionary. Eleventh Edition (New Era)
This is a classic dictionary that contains over 60,000 words in shorthand form. It also has appendices with special lists of proper names,