The Alphabet Of Tachygraphy. Consonantal Signs

Vocal Signs

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by D. P. LindslEy in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Distriot of Massachusetts.

In writing Tachygraphy the pen should be held between the first and second fingers, and steadied by the thumb - as shown in the cut at the beginning of this chapter - so that such signs as may be easily made, without changing the position of the pen.

The alphabet should be thoroughly mastered by taking up the signs in pairs, and writing them many times, repeating the sound represented as the sign is made, so as to get the sound allied with the sign, and both well fixed in the mind. It will be noticed that all heavy signs represent vocal sounds, while nearly all the light signs represent whispered sounds.

The signs,

are always written downward;

from left to right;

either upward or downward, and

always upward. In joining consonant signs with each other, acute angles should be made where possible, as they are more easily and rapidly made than obtuse angles. The joining of a vowel sign with a consonant, at its beginning, should always form an angle, thus:

Abe, eke, it, of, owes, on, oil, are.

At the end of a consonant, the semi-circular vowels are written, either in their alphabetic form or as hooks on the consonant, whichever is most convenient and adds most to facility in writing. The vowels

(distinguished mainly by size), are determined by their being written in the direction the hands of a clock move - turning far enough to the right to form a proper angle with the following sign; and

(also distinguished mainly by size), are determined by their being written in the opposite direction. Examples:

Be, kid, keen, deep, tick, fish, leap, hid, bad, car, tan, narrow, last.

The dash vowels should always form angles with consonant signs ;

are varied in their direction to facilitate this. Examples:

goat, knowing,

up, cut.

Either the first or second, or both strokes of the vowel diphthongs may be made straight or curved to facilitate joining, thus:

Nine, size, noise, now, hew.

The other vowel signs do not vary from the alphabetic position, and must be disjoined when they will not form a proper angle.

Disjoined vowels should be written to the left of upright and inclined, and above horizontal consonants, when the vowel sound precedes the consonant sound, and to the right of upright and inclined, and below horizontal consonants, when the vowel sound follows the consonantal.